COLM vs RL: Columbia Sportswear and Ralph Lauren compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Ralph Lauren is the larger company, worth $22.4B, about 7.7 times Columbia Sportswear.
- Ralph Lauren grew revenue faster over the last year (+14.0% vs +1.5%).
- Ralph Lauren keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (14.9% vs 7.5%).
- On earnings, Columbia Sportswear is the cheaper stock (18.1x vs 25.1x).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | COLM | RL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $2.9B | $22.4B |
| Share price | $57.04 | $371.28 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $3.4B | $8.1B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $217M | — |
| Revenue growth, last year | +1.5% | +14.0% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +2.1% | +6.9% |
| Operating margin | 7.5% | 14.9% |
| Net margin | 6.0% | 11.8% |
| Return on equity | 12.9% | 36.1% |
| P/E (trailing) | 18.1x | 25.1x |
| Price / free cash flow | 13.4x | 21.9x |
| EV / EBITDA | 9.39x | 14.6x |
| FCF growth the price implies | -0.27% | — |
| Dividend yield | 2.1% | 0.99% |
| Debt / equity | 0.75x | 1.81x |
| Fundamental grade | C | B |
| Superinvestors holding it | 3 | 2 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 1 | 0 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
Columbia Sportswear
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $3.1B | $320M | 14.4% |
| 2022 | $3.5B | -$84M | 11.3% |
| 2023 | $3.5B | $582M | 8.9% |
| 2024 | $3.4B | $431M | 8.0% |
| 2025 | $3.4B | $217M | 6.1% |
Ralph Lauren
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $6.2B | $549M | 12.8% |
| 2023 | $6.4B | $194M | 10.9% |
| 2024 | $6.6B | $905M | 11.4% |
| 2025 | $7.1B | $1.0B | 13.2% |
| 2026 | $8.1B | — | 14.5% |
Where the revenue comes from
Columbia Sportswear · by segments, 2023
United States$2.2B64%
LAAP$520M15%
EMEA$469M13%
Canada$257M7%
Ralph Lauren · by segments, 2026
North America Segment$3.3B41%
Europe Segment$2.5B31%
Asia Segment$2.1B26%
Other Non-Reportable Segment-Related$142M2%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open COLM in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, Columbia Sportswear or Ralph Lauren?
Ralph Lauren (RL), at $22.4B against $2.9B.
Is COLM or RL cheaper?
By trailing P/E, Columbia Sportswear (18.1x) is cheaper than Ralph Lauren (25.1x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, COLM or RL?
Ralph Lauren: revenue grew +14.0% over the last year, against +1.5%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.