Global powerhouse Adidas is a top German company

Article Excerpt

The iShares Germany ETF (see page 55) includes several companies that are among the global leaders in their respective industries. While these companies are generally as profitable as their U.S. counterparts, they typically trade on average at a substantial discount to earnings compared to their U.S. rivals. Here is one example. Adidas is the second-largest athletic apparel company in the world behind Nike. The company owns more than 2,100 stores, franchises 15,000 stores, and sells products through another 150,000 wholesale partners. The company’s revenues amounted to 21 billion euros ($21 million U.S.) last year, although still 10% below the record level of 2019. Earnings were also still below the 2019 level, but still have more than doubled over the past 10 years. Marketing and sponsorships are important factors in the success of sports clothing and equipment companies. Adidas spent $2.5 billion in 2021 on marketing including prominent sponsorships with the soccer World Cup, the Olympics, European soccer clubs Manchester United and Real Madrid, and…