Designer Brands Inc.

NYSE:DBI Stock Report

Market Cap: US$300.6m

Designer Brands Management

Management criteria checks 3/4

Designer Brands' CEO is Doug Howe, appointed in Apr 2023, has a tenure of 3.42 years. total yearly compensation is $7.92M, comprised of 15.3% salary and 84.7% bonuses, including company stock and options. directly owns 1.03% of the company’s shares, worth $3.10M. The average tenure of the management team and the board of directors is 3 years and 11.9 years respectively.

Key information

Doug Howe

Chief executive officer

US$7.9m

Total compensation

CEO salary percentage15.32%
CEO tenure3.4yrs
CEO ownership1.0%
Management average tenure3yrs
Board average tenure11.9yrs

Recent management updates

Recent updates

Seeking Alpha • Sep 11

Designer Brands: My Strong Sell Is Over (Rating Upgrade)

Summary Designer Brands Inc. has shown signs of a turnaround after prolonged operational struggles and underperformance. Q3 2025 marked a notable shift, with adjusted EPS of $0.38 beating expectations by $0.20 and driving improved share performance. Despite recent progress, DBI remains a watchlist candidate rather than a compelling buy, as turnaround durability is still being tested. Retail remains DBI's core, but brand development is gaining strategic importance amid ongoing turnaround efforts. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Analysis Article • Jan 29

Some Confidence Is Lacking In Designer Brands Inc.'s (NYSE:DBI) P/S

There wouldn't be many who think Designer Brands Inc.'s ( NYSE:DBI ) price-to-sales (or "P/S") ratio of 0.1x is worth a...
Analysis Article • Jan 06

Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Is Experiencing Growth In Returns On Capital

What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Amongst...
Analysis Article • Nov 30

Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Has Affirmed Its Dividend Of $0.05

Designer Brands Inc. ( NYSE:DBI ) has announced that it will pay a dividend of $0.05 per share on the 19th of December...
Analysis Article • Nov 27

Should You Think About Buying Designer Brands Inc. (NYSE:DBI) Now?

Designer Brands Inc. ( NYSE:DBI ), is not the largest company out there, but it saw a significant share price rise of...
Analysis Article • Oct 12

Is Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) A Risky Investment?

The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says...
Analysis Article • Sep 11

Returns At Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Are On The Way Up

To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Typically, we'll want to...
Analysis Article • Jun 11

At US$3.05, Is It Time To Put Designer Brands Inc. (NYSE:DBI) On Your Watch List?

While Designer Brands Inc. ( NYSE:DBI ) might not have the largest market cap around , it led the NYSE gainers with a...
Analysis Article • May 22

Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.05

Designer Brands Inc.'s ( NYSE:DBI ) investors are due to receive a payment of $0.05 per share on 18th of June. The...
Seeking Alpha • Mar 20

Designer Brands Is Not Attractive After Q4, Pre- Or Post-Rally

Summary Designer Brands Inc. posted positive comparable sales for the first time in over two years, driven by a stronger athletic assortment but at the cost of margin recovery. Despite moderate business improvement expected for fiscal 2025, DBI's high leverage, razor-thin margins, and questionable capital allocation make its current valuation unjustified. DBI's balance sheet remains highly leveraged with $500 million in debt and $50 million in annual interest expense, raising concerns about financial stability. Given the high debt, poor capital allocation, and uncertain margin trajectory, I maintain a Hold rating on DBI stock. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Analysis Article • Mar 20

Investors Could Be Concerned With Designer Brands' (NYSE:DBI) Returns On Capital

If we're looking to avoid a business that is in decline, what are the trends that can warn us ahead of time? More often...
Analysis Article • Mar 20

Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Is Paying Out A Dividend Of $0.05

Designer Brands Inc. ( NYSE:DBI ) will pay a dividend of $0.05 on the 11th of April. This makes the dividend yield...
Analysis Article • Feb 25

Here's Why Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Is Weighed Down By Its Debt Load

Warren Buffett famously said, 'Volatility is far from synonymous with risk.' When we think about how risky a company...
Seeking Alpha • Feb 20

Designer Brands: Cheap, But With Several Caveats

Summary Designer Brands Inc. shares have plummeted over 50% since a disappointing Q1 FY 2024, driven by weak consumer spending and poor boot sales due to warm weather. The company faces significant challenges, including high interest expenses, lack of turnaround visibility, and declining market share in boots, despite some recent beneficial owner buying. The shares do trade for less than nine times FY 2025 EPS are at historical lows based on price to sales ratio, and yield nearly four percent. Buy the dip? An analysis follows in the paragraphs below. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Analysis Article • Jan 30

Is It Time To Consider Buying Designer Brands Inc. (NYSE:DBI)?

Designer Brands Inc. ( NYSE:DBI ), might not be a large cap stock, but it saw significant share price movement during...
Seeking Alpha • Dec 12

Designer Brands Is Buying Back Shares At The Expense Of Even More Leverage Risk

Summary Designer Brands' 3Q24 results show topline challenges across all segments, with US retail down 2.8%, Canada down 4.6%, and owned brands down 7.5%. Despite cutting $20 million in SG&A, DBI's financial risk increased due to repurchasing shares with expensive debt, raising concerns about covering interest expenses by Q4. The company's equity remains highly risky; achieving a 3.2% operating margin requires a 10% sales increase, which seems unlikely in current conditions. I maintain a Hold rating on DBI due to deteriorating sales comparables, increased leverage, and uncertain future profitability despite potential for reasonable yield. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Analysis Article • Nov 29

Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Has Announced A Dividend Of $0.05

Designer Brands Inc. ( NYSE:DBI ) will pay a dividend of $0.05 on the 20th of December. This means the annual payment...
Analysis Article • Nov 26

Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Has Some Difficulty Using Its Capital Effectively

When it comes to investing, there are some useful financial metrics that can warn us when a business is potentially in...
Analysis Article • Oct 11

Is Designer Brands (NYSE:DBI) Using Too Much Debt?

Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously...

CEO Compensation Analysis

How has Doug Howe's remuneration changed compared to Designer Brands's earnings?
DateTotal CompensationSalaryCompany Earnings
Aug 01 2026n/an/a

US$18m

May 02 2026n/an/a

US$11m

Jan 31 2026US$8mUS$1m

-US$8m

Nov 01 2025n/an/a

-US$27m

Aug 02 2025n/an/a

-US$32m

May 03 2025n/an/a

-US$29m

Feb 01 2025US$5mUS$1m

-US$11m

Nov 02 2024n/an/a

-US$2m

Aug 03 2024n/an/a

-US$5m

May 04 2024n/an/a

US$18m

Feb 03 2024US$6mUS$1m

US$29m

Oct 28 2023n/an/a

US$104m

Jul 29 2023n/an/a

US$139m

Apr 29 2023n/an/a

US$148m

Jan 28 2023US$11mUS$740k

US$163m

Compensation vs Market: Doug's total compensation ($USD7.92M) is above average for companies of similar size in the US market ($USD2.41M).

Compensation vs Earnings: Doug's compensation has been consistent with company performance over the past year.

CEO

Doug Howe (65 yo)

3.4yrs
Tenure
US$7,919,728
Compensation

Mr. Douglas M. Howe, also known as Doug, is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Designer Brands Inc since April 01, 2023. He was President of DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse since May 2022 until July 2...

Leadership Team

NamePositionTenureCompensationOwnership
Jay Schottenstein
Executive Chairman21.5yrsUS$6.41m23.91%
$ 71.9m
Douglas Howe
CEO & Director3.4yrsUS$7.92m1.03%
$ 3.1m
Deborah Ferree
Vice Chairman & Chief Product Officerless than a yearUS$4.03m0.84%
$ 2.5m
Andrea O'Donnell
COO, Executive VP of Designer Brands & President of Brandsless than a yearUS$2.20m0.12%
$ 352.2k
Sheamus Toal
CFO, Executive VP & Principal Financial Officerless than a yearno datano data
Lisa Yerrace
Senior VPno datano datano data
Mary Turner
Executive VP & President of Designer Brands Canada Inc.6.5yrsno data0.0012%
$ 3.5k
Laura Davis
EVP of Designer Brands & President of North America Retail of DSW Shoe Warehouse Inc.3.2yrsUS$1.69m0.20%
$ 588.9k
Matthew Crummy
Senior Vice President of Strategy and FP&Ano datano datano data
3.0yrs
Average Tenure
65yo
Average Age

Experienced Management: DBI's management team is considered experienced (3 years average tenure).

Board Members

NamePositionTenureCompensationOwnership
Jay Schottenstein
Executive Chairman21.5yrsUS$6.41m23.91%
$ 71.9m
Douglas Howe
CEO & Director3.4yrsUS$7.92m1.03%
$ 3.1m
Deborah Ferree
Vice Chairman & Chief Product Officerless than a yearUS$4.03m0.84%
$ 2.5m
Elaine Eisenman
Independent Director18.5yrsUS$310.00k0.030%
$ 91.5k
Joanna Lau
Independent Director18.5yrsUS$315.00k0.17%
$ 498.3k
Joanne Zaiac
Independent Director10yrsUS$285.00k0.095%
$ 285.5k
Allan Tanenbaum
Independent Director21.7yrsUS$290.00k0.098%
$ 293.8k
Harvey Sonnenberg
Independent Director21.3yrsUS$310.00k0.10%
$ 307.6k
Peter Cobb
Independent Director9.1yrsUS$315.00kno data
Joseph Schottenstein
Inside Director13.8yrsUS$255.00k0.69%
$ 2.1m
Richard Paul
Independent Director3.8yrsUS$255.00k0.29%
$ 857.7k
John Atkinson
Independent Director2.1yrsUS$290.00kno data
11.9yrs
Average Tenure
67.5yo
Average Age

Experienced Board: DBI's board of directors are seasoned and experienced ( 11.9 years average tenure).

Company Analysis and Financial Data Status

DataLast Updated (UTC time)
Company Analysis2026/09/14 08:34
End of Day Share Price 2026/09/11 00:00
Earnings2026/08/01
Annual Earnings2026/01/31

Data Sources

The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.

PackageDataTimeframeExample US Source *
Company Financials10 years
  • Income statement
  • Cash flow statement
  • Balance sheet
Analyst Consensus Estimates+3 years
  • Forecast financials
  • Analyst price targets
Market Prices30 years
  • Stock prices
  • Dividends, Splits and Actions
Ownership10 years
  • Top shareholders
  • Insider trading
Management10 years
  • Leadership team
  • Board of directors
Key Developments10 years
  • Company announcements

* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.

Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.

Analysis Model and Snowflake

Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.

Learn about the who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Industry and Sector Metrics

Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.

Analyst Sources

Designer Brands Inc. is covered by 17 analysts. 2 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.

AnalystInstitution
Camilo LyonCanaccord Genuity
Jeff BlackCitigroup Inc
Steven MarottaCL King & Associates, Inc.