By Sarah Sloat

Shares in Adidas jumped after the German sportswear maker released preliminary fourth-quarter figures and announced a 1 billion-euro ($1.2 billion) share buyback.

The company late Thursday said the buyback--set to launch in February--reflected positive brand momentum and cash-flow generation, robust fundamentals and management's confidence in Adidas's future development.

Adidas stock traded 5.8% higher at 151.75 euros shortly after the European open. Shares have fallen 15% in the year so far and 45% over the past 12 months.

In the fourth quarter, Adidas's revenue rose to 6.08 billion euros from 5.97 billion euros in the previous-year quarter. The company reported an 11% increase in revenue for the Adidas brand on a currency-neutral basis.

Analysts were largely upbeat on the results.

Citi analysts anticipated early share gains, particularly in the context of recent muted share performance, they said in a note.

The 11% rise in brand sales beat consensus of around 9%, Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note. The bank said the increase in earnings before interest and taxes to 164 million euros from 57 million euros was impressive, but broadly in line with consensus.

Although shares gained at the open, Jefferies analysts noted that many investors remain concerned about 2026 guidance.

Adidas is scheduled to release full 2025 results and guidance for 2026 on March 4.

Write to Sarah Sloat at sarah.sloat@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 30, 2026 04:01 ET (09:01 GMT)

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