SWOT Analysis: Can Under Armour Leverage These Opportunities?

Only about 6% of Under Armour, Inc. (UA) revenues came from outside North America in 2013. Global expansion presents a valuable opportunity for the company to grow its revenues and income base, and create a global brand. United Armour, or UA, management project the business will be split somewhat more equally between both North American and global markets at some point in the future.

UA is taking steps to redress the imbalance in its geographical exposure. The company launched its brands around the world with aggressive campaigns in 2014. More global launches and a bigger retail footprint are in the cards in 2015. The company wants to add 100 new stores outside North America in 2015. DTC sales provide higher margins than wholesale.

UA acquired fitness application MapMyFitness in 2013. This app will help it create brand awareness and relevance in an increasingly competitive marketplace. App users have grown from 20 million last December to over 30 million by September 2014. The company is projecting this will increase to over 100 million users in the future.

The iShares S&P 500 Growth Index ETF (IVW), the iShares Core S&P 500 Index ETF (IVV), the Guggenheim S&P 500 Pure Growth ETF (RPG), and the SPDR MSCI World Quality Mix ETF (QWLD) have exposure to Under Armour, Inc. (UA).