COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR COMPANY vs GILDAN ACTIVEWEAR INC., two Apparel stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Columbia Sportswear puts its name on jackets and boots; Gildan stitches blank basics for other people to brand. That difference shows in the margins, where Gildan's 11.02% net beats Columbia's slim 4.98%, and in returns, Gildan at 11.2% on equity against Columbia's 10.7%. Both run debt-free. The market prices them close, 20.54 times earnings for Columbia and 20.26 for Gildan, though Columbia's 2.15 times book undercuts Gildan's 2.27. Columbia pays 1.86% and Gildan yields more free cash flow at 6.18% versus 5.13%. The consumer brand and the contract manufacturer end up trading like near-twins on price, if not on economics.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | COLM | GIL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $62.99 | $52.51 |
| Market cap | $3.3B | $8.0B |
| Sector | Apparel | Apparel |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | -2.9% | +13.2% |
| P/E | 20.1 | 20.1 |
| P/B | 2.10 | 2.26 |
| P/S | 0.98 | 2.22 |
| EV/EBITDA | 11.6 | 10.1 |
| Revenue growth | +1.3% | +5.6% |
| Gross margin | 50.7% | 31.2% |
| Operating margin | 5.4% | 17.1% |
| Net margin | 5.0% | 11.0% |
| Return on equity | 10.7% | 11.2% |
| Return on assets | 6.6% | 3.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 9.3% | 14.6% |
| FCF yield | 5.3% | 6.2% |
| Dividend yield | 1.9% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 3.07 | 2.11 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 4.82 | 1.68 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.