GET DAILY SIGNALSCROX vs LEVI: Diverging Paths in Apparel After Earnings
Key Takeaways
- Both CROX and LEVI operate in consumer-discretionary apparel, yet their latest earnings reactions have moved in opposite directions.
- CROX posted a beat-and-raise quarter, with HEYDUDE returning to growth and international sales rising sharply.
- LEVI delivered a mixed quarter where a tariff refund boosted profits, but direct-to-consumer sales lagged and revenue came in slightly below expectations.
- Relative performance has favored CROX, which trades at a lower forward valuation despite stronger recent momentum.
- Tickeron AI Verdict: CROX — its mix of upward earnings revisions, margin expansion, and steady post-earnings trend gives it the edge over LEVI.
- For additional detail, review CROX Major News and CROX Today's Price Move, along with LEVI Major News and LEVI Today's Price Move.
- See how automation assesses setups like these by checking Trending AI Robots.
Introduction
Footwear and denim occupy a competitive corner of the consumer-discretionary sector, but two well-known brands are heading in noticeably different directions right now. CROX (Crocs, Inc.) and LEVI (Levi Strauss & Co.) both lean on strong brand names, international growth, and evolving sales channels, yet their recent results have produced contrasting investor reactions. This comparison matters for investors balancing a high-margin turnaround story against a dividend-paying company working through some operational challenges. By looking at business models, growth drivers, momentum, and positioning together, it becomes clearer where relative strength sits between these two names.
CROX Overview and Recent Performance
Crocs, Inc. runs two footwear brands—the main Crocs line and the more casual HEYDUDE collection. The company recently reported quarterly revenue of about $1.04 billion, up 4.6% from a year earlier, with adjusted earnings per share reaching $3.69, more than 26% higher than the prior year. Both numbers topped analyst forecasts, and management lifted its full-year revenue and profit guidance. HEYDUDE showed renewed growth, while international Crocs sales advanced at a double-digit rate and helped offset softer North American results. The market reacted by lifting the stock, and shares have outperformed the broader market over the past year. Investors have highlighted margin expansion, share repurchases, and new licensed products as factors supporting the improved outlook. I also checked this using Tickeron’s AI Screener to see how the stock compares to others in the industry.
LEVI Overview and Recent Performance
Levi Strauss & Co. markets denim and apparel under the Levi’s, Signature, and Beyond Yoga names. In its latest quarter, revenue rose roughly 4% to $1.61 billion, coming in just below consensus, while adjusted EPS of $0.48 exceeded estimates. A sizable part of that earnings beat, however, stemmed from a one-time tariff refund rather than core operations, which led investors to question the quality of the results. Direct-to-consumer growth eased to 2%, with softness in U.S. and European stores linked to lower traffic and some merchandising issues, even as e-commerce and Asia performed better. The company raised full-year EPS guidance but lowered its revenue outlook, and shares fell after the report before recovering some ground. The stock also pays a dividend, setting it apart from CROX.
Head-to-Head Comparison
The two companies focus on different parts of consumer discretionary. CROX specializes in footwear with an asset-light, high-margin approach and a track record of buying back shares, while LEVI is a larger apparel business with broader revenue, a dividend, and greater reliance on wholesale and physical retail. On valuation, CROX trades at a lower forward price-to-earnings multiple, partly reflecting past concerns about brand concentration, whereas LEVI carries a premium linked to its scale and income features. Growth paths differ as well: CROX is counting on international expansion and HEYDUDE’s recovery, while LEVI is pushing premiumization and a direct-to-consumer shift that has encountered recent hurdles. Risk profiles vary too, with LEVI facing tariff-related cost swings and denim competition, and CROX exposed to fashion shifts and heavy dependence on one key silhouette.
Tickeron AI Verdict
In my view, Tickeron’s AI would likely lean toward CROX over LEVI in the current setting. The case rests on the steadier trend at CROX, backed by a beat-and-raise quarter, renewed growth in its second brand, and clear margin improvement—all of which have supported positive earnings-estimate revisions. By comparison, LEVI’s momentum has been less consistent, with its profit beat partly tied to a non-recurring tariff refund and its direct-to-consumer channel showing softness. While LEVI’s dividend and scale offer stability, the combination of trend consistency, catalysts, and valuation positioning appears to favor CROX at this stage. This is a probabilistic, data-driven assessment rather than a firm prediction, and conditions can change with new information.
Exploring AI Trading Bots
In my own work, I often review Tickeron’s AI Trading Bots to see how automated strategies are positioned on names like these. The platform offers a range of bots with different timeframes and risk approaches, letting me match setups to current market conditions without building everything from scratch. It serves as a useful reference when comparing relative strength between stocks.
Disclaimer
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Contributor
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
Momentum Indicator for CROX turns positive, indicating new upward trend
CROX saw its Momentum Indicator move above the 0 level on October 14, 2026. This is an indication that the stock could be shifting in to a new upward move. Traders may want to consider buying the stock or buying call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 79 similar instances where the indicator turned positive. In 60 of the 79 cases, the stock moved higher in the following days. The odds of a move higher are at 76%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for CROX just turned positive on October 15, 2026. Looking at past instances where CROX's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 33 of 45 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 73%.
CROX moved above its 50-day moving average on October 28, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend.
The 10-day moving average for CROX crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 23, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 15 of 21 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 71%.
Following a +1.91% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where CROX advanced for three days, in 201 of 274 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 73%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The RSI Indicator has been in the overbought zone for 2 days. Expect a price pull-back in the near future.
The Stochastic Oscillator has been in the overbought zone for 1 day. Expect a price pull-back in the near future.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where CROX declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 77%.
CROX broke above its upper Bollinger Band on October 29, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 25 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 35 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. CROX’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 41 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: CROX's P/B Ratio (5.302) is slightly higher than the industry average of (2.868). P/E Ratio (13.515) is within average values for comparable stocks, (12.082). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.030) is also within normal values, averaging (0.949). Dividend Yield (0.067) settles around the average of (0.054) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (1.460) is also within normal values, averaging (1.162).
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 90 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 90 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. CROX’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 89, placing this stock worse than average.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of 95 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
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General Information
a retailer of footwear for men, women and children
Industry WholesaleDistributors
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