Last Updated on 06/29/2021 by GS Staff
Q: Can you purchase Vans stock?
Vans is owned by V.F. Corporation and is not publicly traded. However, its parent company, V.F. Corporation, is publicly traded. V.F. trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol VFC.
If you invest in V.F Corporation, you will not only be investing in Vans but also numerous other companies that are subsidiaries/brands of V.F. These companies are:
V.F. Corporation Brands
| Brands | Description |
|---|---|
| Altra | A brand of running shoes for men, women, and kids |
| Bulwark Protection | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
| Dickies | Apparel manufacturer of workwear |
| Eagle Creek | Backpacks, luggage, and travel accessories |
| Eastpak | The maker of backpacks, bags, luggage, and travel accessories |
| Horace Small | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
| Icebreaker | Producer of apparel that is “100% made from nature” |
| JanSport | They are known for their assortment of backpacks and bags |
| Kipling | The maker of backpacks, handbags, luggage, and more |
| Kodiak | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
| Napapijri | Manufacturer of premium outdoor apparel, shoes, boots, and accessories |
| Red Kap | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
| Smartwool | The business uses Merino wool to make socks and apparel |
| Supreme | Clothing and footwear brand |
| Terra | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
| The North Face | The famous maker of outdoor clothing, footwear, and equipment |
| Timberland | Outdoor footwear and apparel company |
| VF Solutions | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
| Walls | **Brand sold to Redwood Capital** |
We listed out the brands of V.F. Corporation above to illustrate that the company is much more complex than just the Vans brands. While you can invest in V.F. because you believe Vans has a promising future, you also have to take into account all other subsidiaries to value the company.
However, Vans is one of the top-performing brands in the portfolio of businesses. The fiscal year 2020 net revenues were $10,488,556,000. The company 2020 annual report does not report the specific revenue of Vans, however, it does state it was “poised to surpass $4 billion”. In other words, Vans brings in a significant portion of the revenue for V.F.
Will Vans ever be a public company?
The most likely scenario for this to happen would be for V.F. to spinoff Vans into its own company. We would speculate that this scenario is not likely given Vans is one of the company’s Big Four brands.
V.F. does have a recent history of completing a spinoff. In May 2019, its jeans business was spun-off into a new company called Kontoor Brands. This company trades on the NYSE under the symbol KTB and is behind the brands of Wrangler, Lee, and Rock & Republic. This spinoff does not suggest that V.F. will separate itself from Vans, however, it does illustrate the willingness of management to take on a spin-off strategy to create shareholder value.
Closing Thoughts
Vans is one of the core brands of V.F. along with The North Face, Timberland, and Dickies. We would suspect that these brands will remain in the V.F. portfolio of businesses for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, people looking to only invest in Vans stock as a publicly-traded company are unable to do so at this time.