Topic: How To Invest

Hi, Pat: May I please have your opinion on Skechers and Fitbit? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

Skechers USA, $156.20, symbol SKX on New York (Shares outstanding: 42.1 million; Market cap: $8.1 billion; www.skechers.com), designs and markets casual, active and rugged footwear for men, women and children. Its wholesale customers include department and specialty stores. The California-based company also owns 362 stores in the U.S. and 87 in other countries. International distributors own another 589, while Asian joint ventures own 87. Skechers continues to benefit from the trend toward less expensive casual-athletic footwear. Over the past couple of years, running shoe preferences have shifted from a specialized product to less expensive styles that can be worn any time and almost anywhere—including the office, shopping or social occasions. This trend is sometimes called “athleisure.” The company competes on quality and style, as well as price, but it generally sells its shoes for less than most of its competitors. That lets it gain shelf space in footwear and department stores. Earlier this year, Skechers moved ahead of Adidas to…