NEW YORK, June 4, 2026, 13:04 (EDT)
- Rocky Brands shares traded up 1.7% at $37.30 Thursday afternoon. The stock started the session at $36.87 and hit a session high of $37.39.
- Shares rose a day after the company’s 2026 annual shareholder meeting. There are no investor events listed ahead on its calendar.
- Margin recovery remains a sticking point for the stock. First-quarter sales were up 9.1%, but net income dropped 74.5% as tariff costs hit profits.
Rocky Brands Inc. shares climbed Thursday during regular Nasdaq trade. The boot and work-footwear company got a lift after a low-key annual meeting and a tough first quarter with profits under pressure.
The stock traded at $37.30 recently, up 61 cents, as volume hit about 15,900 shares. Market cap was close to $284 million, based on the current share count and price.
Rocky Brands (see ) has no upcoming events listed, and the company wrapped its annual meeting in Athens, Ohio on June 3, so there isn’t much new company news left to drive the stock now. Shares are mostly reacting to the latest earnings, the June dividend, and moves in other small-cap consumer names.
Sales grew in April, with net sales up 9.1% at $124.4 million. Retail segment sales climbed 16.5% to $42.7 million. CEO Jason Brooks said there’s “continued strength in XTRATUF and Muck” in all sales channels. Rocky Brands, Inc.
Profit looked softer this quarter. Gross margin dropped to 36.5% from 41.2% a year ago. Net income was $1.3 million, or 17 cents a diluted share, down from $4.9 million, or 66 cents a year earlier, as tariff-linked sourcing costs jumped about $7.1 million.
Brooks said the tariff pressure should start to let up in the second quarter, setting Rocky up for gross margins in the low-40% range by later this year. That’s what the stock has to show now.
Balance sheet numbers helped a bit. Inventories dropped 1.6% year over year to $172.6 million. Total debt came in at $122.2 million, down 5.0% as of March 31.
Rocky is leaning on capital returns. The board hiked the quarterly cash dividend to 17 cents a share, a May 18 filing showed, payable June 15 to shareholders on record June 1. Future dividends depend on board decisions each quarter, according to the filing.
The company has a $7.5 million share buyback plan running through Feb. 23, 2027. Companies can buy back stock through these plans, but don’t have to use the whole authorized amount.
Mixed moves in footwear and retail. Crocs added 1.7% with Deckers Outdoor up 1.0%, but Wolverine World Wide fell 0.8%. The iShares Russell 2000 ETF, which tracks smaller U.S. companies, gained 1.3%.
The risk for the company is that tariff relief is slower than management thinks, or demand for the top brands drops before margins recover. If that happens, Thursday’s action could end up being just a pause, not a real reset, leaving the stock still waiting for clearer earnings.
