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LVMH

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LVMH (LVMH) Economic Moat Analysis—

Competitive advantages, dated evidence and erosion risks.

Analysis needs refresh

Narrow economic moat

LVMH has an evidenced but uneven intangible-asset moat. Champagne sustained market share through weaker demand, while established fragrance and fashion lines demonstrate brand appeal. Champagne's firm pricing policy alongside high volumes supports limited pricing power, but group-wide pricing outcomes are not isolated. Falling revenue and profitability through 2025 constrain evidence of erosion resilience and do not support a wide moat.

Intangible assets

Established brands and accumulated product expertise support differentiated demand. Champagne achieved record shipment share under a firm pricing policy in 2023 and retained 22% volume share in 2025; fragrance leadership and fashion market-share gains provide additional, uneven evidence.

Durability
Heritage, production expertise and sustained champagne share support persistence across multiple years. Evidence is insufficient to establish exceptional durability across the portfolio.
Competitors
Comparison not established
Erosion risks
Brand appeal requires continued product and marketing investment. Wines and Spirits demand weakened, Fashion and Leather Goods contracted organically in 2025, and group profitability declined. These outcomes show that differentiation does not insulate demand or earnings.
What would invalidate the thesis
Sustained champagne share losses from the disclosed 22% baseline, loss of fragrance leadership, and persistent fashion underperformance accompanied by discounting or weaker repeat demand would undermine the brand advantage. The supplied passages do not establish that these conditions have occurred.
Evidence (6) · Counterevidence (3)

Changes since the previous analysis

  • Retain the previous narrow verdict.
  • Remove the previous reference to a 2026 fashion and jewelry recovery: the supplied passages disclose plans for 2026, not demonstrated recovery results.
  • Recognize the specific 2023 champagne pricing-and-volume evidence, while retaining uncertainty about group-wide realized pricing.
  • Do not carry forward Sephora market-share gains or successful exclusive launches as established facts; the supplied passages support revenue and profit growth and issuer-described leadership.

Evidence limitations

  • All supplied sources are issuer materials. Reported operating results support assessment, while leadership, desirability and market-share statements remain issuer-reported rather than independently corroborated.
  • No passage establishes named rival comparisons. Named entities appearing as investments, partners or transaction counterparties are not established competitor coverage.
  • The catalog dates have dateKind retrieved and are not publication dates. The assessment uses the financial periods and disclosure dates stated within the passages.
  • No group-wide price/volume/mix bridge, discounting history, customer retention rates or customer pricing contracts is supplied.
  • Ownership evidence is dated December 31, 2023. Compensation conditions establish incentive design, not actual vesting or exceptional alignment.
  • Heritage and production requirements support possible persistence but do not alone prove superior economics, exclusive supply access or a cost advantage.

Financial indicators to test against the thesis

Calculated from annual filings. Missing data remains unavailable. Detailed financial charts remain in the other topics.

Financial indicators to test against the thesis
PeriodGross marginOperating marginROICFCF margin
202168.3%26.7%—24.9%
202268.4%26.5%23.7%17.0%
202368.8%26.2%22.8%13.5%
202467.0%22.3%17.0%16.8%
202566.2%21.2%14.1%18.6%

Pricing power—

Insufficient verified evidence to assign a score.

Management—

Insufficient verified evidence to assign a score.

Sources and methodology

Analysis needs refresh · Updated 19/10/2026 · Version 11

AI interpretation based on checked source excerpts. Issuer assertions and evidence limitations remain explicit.

Policy quality-scores-3: six equally weighted categories. The overall score requires full coverage. Missing inputs are not zero. Qualitative grades are sourced interpretations, not probabilities. 3/6 · 28/10/2026

Moat—

Awaiting a sourced assessment under the current scoring policy and financial basis.

Pricing power—

Awaiting a sourced assessment under the current scoring policy and financial basis.

Predictability82

5 consecutive published annual periods. Equal weights: nondeclining revenue frequency; revenue-growth volatility (5–40pp); positive FCF frequency; FCF-margin volatility (3–20pp). Stability indicator, not a growth forecast.

Nondeclining revenue years (%)
50.00
Revenue growth volatility (pp)
10.93
Positive FCF years (%)
100.00
FCF margin volatility (pp)
3.76
observedAnnualPeriods
5.00

Financial strength87

Equal-weight grades: debt/FCF (1–8x), net debt/earnings before interest and tax (0–5x), interest service (1–12x), current ratio (0.75–2x). Earnings use reported operating income, an original issuer-reported unadjusted EBIT reconciled to net income, income tax and signed net interest, or reported pretax profit plus reported gross interest expense. Reported EBIT is distinct from GAAP operating income and gross interest. Interest service uses earnings/interest expense; if unavailable, it uses reported operating cash flow/cash interest paid, without relabeling cash paid as accrued expense. Nonpositive cash flow/earnings score 0 for their service component; reported zero interest with a positive numerator scores 100. Net cash scores 100 for net leverage. Missing disclosures remain unavailable. General nonfinancial-company rubric, not a credit rating; exceptional and nonoperating gains are not normalized out. IFRS finance-cost and cash-flow classifications retain their reported scope.

debtFcfGrade
94.94
netDebtEbitGrade
86.49
interestCoverageGrade
100.00
currentRatioGrade
66.72
Debt / FCF (x)
1.35
Net debt / operating income (x)
0.68
Interest coverage (x)
14.86
Current ratio (x)
1.58

Capital allocation100

Three-year equal-weight indicators: pretax return on average invested capital (0–25%; equity + debt − cash, each year and its prior year), share-count growth (0–5%, lower better), share-based cost/revenue (2–20%, lower better), consolidated FCF/net income (0–1x). Return uses reported operating income, an original issuer-reported unadjusted EBIT reconciled to net income, income tax and signed net interest, or EBIT calculated from reported pretax profit plus reported gross interest expense; the issuer-reported EBIT is distinct from GAAP operating income and gross interest; exceptional/nonoperating gains are not normalized out. Share-based cost uses the reported cash-flow add-back or, if absent, separately reported recognized compensation expense; the latter never becomes an FCF adjustment. Nonpositive net income scores 0 for cash conversion; absent income/FCF stays unavailable. ROIC remains undefined for nonpositive invested capital; the explicit asset-return alternative does not change the ROIC chart. Missing financial inputs alone never trigger an alternative. Does not establish acquisition quality or buyback timing.

3-year pre-tax operating return (%)
25.21
3-year average dilution (%)
-0.30
3-year average SBC / revenue (%)
0.19
cashConversionGrade
100.00

Management—

Awaiting a sourced assessment under the current scoring policy and financial basis.

Evidence

While maintaining a firm pricing policy as part of their value strategy, the champagne houses continued to achieve high sales volumes, achieving a record market share of Champagne - appellation shipments.

Wines and Spirits, 2023 highlights: pricing policy, volumes and champagne shipment share · Retrieved 19/10/2026

LVMH’s champagne houses held their market share at 22% by volume, and updated their organization to boost efficiency while ensuring each Maison remained in control of its own management.

Wines and Spirits, 2025 highlights: champagne volume market share · Retrieved 28/09/2026

Sauvage confirmed its position as the world’s best - selling fragrance across all categories.

Perfumes and Cosmetics, 2023 highlights: Sauvage sales leadership · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Loro Piana confirmed its excellent momentum and gained market share.

Fashion and Leather Goods, 2023 highlights: Loro Piana market-share gains · Retrieved 19/10/2026

2025 Universal Registration Document 1 HISTORY Although the history of the LVMH Group began in 1987 with the merger of Moët Hennessy and Louis Vuitton, the roots of the Group actually stretch back much further, to eighteenth‑century Champagne, when a man named Claude Moët decided to build on the work of Dom Pérignon, a contemporary of Louis XIV; and to nineteenth‑century Paris, famous for its imperial celebrations, where Louis Vuitton, a craftsman trunk‑maker, invented modern luggage.

History: origins of champagne and Louis Vuitton businesses · Retrieved 19/10/2026

B USINESS OVERVIEW , HIGHLIGHTS AND OUTLOOK Perfumes and Cosmetics 17 2025 Universal Registration Document 3.2 Competitive position LVMH’s Beauty division has maintained its global competitive position thanks to the success of its fragrances, particularly in Europe and the United States, and the recovery in makeup in the United States, despite the ongoing impact on the skincare market of the economic situation in China.

Perfumes and Cosmetics, competitive position in 2025 · Retrieved 19/10/2026

2 Financial Documents - December 31, 2025 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Revenue ( EUR millions) 86,153 84,683 2023 2024 2025 80,807 Profit from recurring operations ( EUR millions) 22,802 19,571 2023 2024 2025 17,755 Stores ( number) 6,283 6,307 6,097 2023 2024 2025 Change in revenue by business group ( EUR millions and percentage) 2025 2024 2025/2024 Change 2023 Published Organic (a) Wines and Spirits 5,358 5,862 -9% -5% 6,602 Fashion and Leather Goods 37,770 41,060 -8% -5% 42,169 Perfumes and Cosmetics 8,174 8,418 -3% 0% 8,271 Watches and Jewelry 10,486 10,577 -1% 3% 10,902 Selective Retailing 18,348 18,262 0% 4% 17,885 Other activities and eliminations 671 504 - - 324 Total 80,807 84,683 -5% -1% 86,153 (a) On a constant consolidation scope and currency basis.

Financial highlights: 2023–2025 revenue and recurring profit; 2025 organic segment changes · Retrieved 28/09/2026

Japan) 16 18 21 Other markets 16 15 14 Total 100 100 100 Profit from recurring operations (EUR millions) 1,016 1,356 2,109 Operating margin (%) 19.0 23.1 31.9 Highlights 2025 confirmed the slowdown in demand observed since 2023, following several exceptional years.

Wines and Spirits: profitability and realized demand slowdown · Retrieved 28/09/2026

Wines & Spirits Home Wines & Spirits Back Popular searches Hennessy Moët & Chandon Maisons Ao Yun Ardbeg Armand de Brignac Belvedere Bodega Numanthia Chandon Cheval des Andes Château Cheval Blanc Château Galoupet Château d'Yquem Château d’Esclans Cloudy Bay Colgin Cellars Dom Pérignon Domaine des Lambrays Eminente Glenmorangie Hennessy Joseph Phelps Krug Mercier Minuty Moët & Chandon Ruinart Terrazas de los Andes Veuve Clicquot Volcan de mi Tierra Woodinville Home Wines & Spirits & PRESS RELEASES events Press releases KEY FIGURES INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE BY REGION REVENUE BY CURRENCY REVENUE BY BUSINESS GROUP PROFIT FROM RECURRING OPERATIONS INCOME STATEMENT In millions of euros INCOME STATEMENT 202320242025 Revenue 86,153 84,683 80,807 Gross margin 59,277 56,765 53,528 in % of revenue 69 % 67 % 66 % Profit from recurring operations 22,802 19,571 17,755 in % of revenue 26.5 % 23.1 % 22.0 % Net profit 15,952 12,958 11,222 Group share of net profit 15,174 12,550 10,878 REVENUE BY REGION REVENUE BY REGION as a % of total revenue :2025 2024 2023 Table view REVENUE BY CURRENCY REVENUE BY CURRENCY as a % of total revenue :2025 2024 2023 Table view REVENUE BY BUSINESS GROUP REVENUE BY BUSINESS GROUP as a % of total revenue :2025 2024 2023 Table view PROFIT FROM RECURRING OPERATIONS In millions of euros PROFIT FROM RECURRING OPERATIONS 202320242025 Wines & Spirits 2,109 1,356 1,016 Fashion & Leather goods 16,836 15,230 13,209 Perfumes & Cosmetics 713 671 727 Watches & Jewelry 2,162 1,546 1,514 Selective retailing 1,391 1,385 1,780 Other activities and eliminations (409) (617) (491) TOTAL 22,802 19,571

Investor key figures: 2023–2025 gross and recurring operating margins and segment profits · Retrieved 28/09/2026

Growth was fueled by the success of leather goods, especially the iconic Triomphe line, as well as the steady rise in ready - to - wear and the increasing popularity of its range of accessories.

Fashion and Leather Goods: Celine product-line demand · Retrieved 19/10/2026

• Remarkable performance by Sephora, which continued to achieve growth in both revenue and profit, and consolidated its position as world leader in beauty retail.

2025 highlights: Sephora revenue and profit growth · Retrieved 28/09/2026

2025 Universal Registration Document 3 Net profit (EUR millions) Net profit, Group share (EUR millions) Basic Group share of net earnings per share (EUR) 11 ,222 15,952 12,958 2023 2024 2025 15,174 10,878 12,550 2023 2024 2025 21.86 30.34 25.13 2023 2024 2025 Net cash from operating activities (EUR millions) Operating investments (EUR millions) Operating free cash flow (a) (EUR millions) 18,400 18,924 18,874 2023 2024 2025 4,567 7,478 5,531 2023 2024 2025 8,104 10,478 11,333 2023 2024 2025 (a) See the consolidated cash flow statement on p.

Financial highlights: operating cash generation, investments and free cash flow · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Dividend per share (a) (EUR) Net financial debt (a) (EUR millions) Equity and Net financial debt/Equity ratio (EUR millions and percentage) 13.00 13.00 13.00 (b) 2023 2024 2025 9,228 10,746 6,857 2023 2024 2025 68,949 62,701 69,287 13.3 % 9.9 % 17.1 % 2023 2024 2025 (a) Gross amount paid for the fiscal year, excluding the impact of tax regulations applicable to the recipient.

Financial highlights: net financial debt and equity ratios · Retrieved 19/10/2026

(a) Excluding “Lease liabilities” and “Purchase commitments for minority interests’ shares”.

Financial highlights: exclusions from net financial debt · Retrieved 19/10/2026

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Notes to the condensed consolidated f nancial statements 47 Financial Documents - December 31, 2025 Other equity - related transactions comprise the following elements for the fiscal years presented: (EUR millions) Notes 2025 2024 2023 Capital increases of LVMH SE 16 - 53 - Capital increases of subsidiaries subscribed by minority interests 6 35 15 Acquisition and disposal of LVMH shares 16 (1,640) (312) (1,584) Other equity - related transactions (1,634) (224) (1,569) 16.

Note 15.4: actual capital increases and transactions in LVMH shares · Retrieved 28/09/2026

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the criteria used to determine variable compensation for the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer are broken down as follows: • 50% of total variable compensation depends on financial (quantifiable) criteria relating to growth in the Group’s revenue, operating profit and cash flow relative to the budget trajectory for the year in question; • 50% of the total variable compensation is based on criteria related to strategy , management, corporate social responsibility and sustainability , broken down as follows: – criteria related to strategy and management (qualitative): 70%; – criteria related to CSR and sustainability (quantifiable and qualitative): 30%.

General information: actual 2025 CEO variable-compensation criteria · Retrieved 19/10/2026

The vesting of bonus shares is subject to a continued service condition under which recipients must still be with the Group on the date the shares vest and subject to the achievement of performance conditions.

General information: bonus-share service and performance vesting conditions · Retrieved 19/10/2026

SHARE CAPITAL AND VOTING RIGHTS AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023 Shareholders Number of shares Number of voting rights (a) % of share capital % of voting rights (a) Arnault family group 243,981,074 471,305,051 48.60 64.33 Other shareholders 258,067,326 (b) 261,329,171 51.40 (b) 35.67 Total 502,048,400 732,634,222 100.00 100.00 (a) Voting rights that may be exercised at Shareholders’ Meetings.

Share capital and voting rights as of December 31, 2023 · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Board of Directors Bernard Arnault Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alexandre Arnault Antoine Arnault Delphine Arnault Frédéric Arnault Dominique Aumont Director representing employees Marie-Véronique Belloeil-Melkin Director representing employees Henri de Castries (1) Lead Director Sophie Chassat (1) Wei Sun Christianson (1) Clara Gaymard (1) Marie-Josée Kravis (1) Laurent Mignon (1) Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon (1) Natacha Valla (1) Hubert Védrine (1) Advisory Board members Diego Della Valle Lord Powell of Bayswater Executive Committee Bernard Arnault Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bianchi Group Managing Director Maud Alvarez-Pereyre Human Resources Delphine Arnault Christian Dior Couture Nicolas Bazire Development and Acquisitions Pietro Beccari Fashion Group & Louis Vuitton Damien Bertrand Louis Vuitton Cécile Cabanis Finance Jean-Jacques Guiony Wines & Spirits Guillaume Motte Sephora Stéphane Rinderknech Hospitality Excellence & Beauty Jérôme Sibille General Administration & Legal Affairs Jean Baptiste Voisin Strategy General Secretary Marc-Antoine Jamet Performance Audit Committee Clara Gaymard (1) Chairman Laurent Mignon (1) Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon (1) Natacha Valla (1) Compensation Committee Natacha Valla (1) Chairman Marie-Véronique Belloeil-Melkin Sophie Chassat (1) Marie-Josée Kravis (1) Sustainability & Governance Committee Henri de Castries (1) Chairman Sophie Chassat (1) Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon (1) Hubert Védrine (1) Statutory Auditors Deloitte & Associés represented by Guillaume Troussicot and Bénédicte Sabadie Forvis Mazars SA represented by Jérôme de Pastors and Simon Beillevaire Statutory Auditor in charge of certifying sustainability information Deloitte & Associés represented by Guillaume Troussicot

Executive and supervisory bodies as of January 1, 2026: board and committee composition · Retrieved 28/09/2026

32. RELATED‑PARTY TRANSACTIONS No significant related - party transactions occurred during the fiscal year.

Note 32: related-party transactions in 2025 · Retrieved 28/09/2026

Among these marketing and selling expenses, advertising and promotion expenses amounted to 12% of revenue, increasing by 10% on a constant consolidation scope and currency basis.

Income-statement commentary: advertising and promotion expenditure · Retrieved 19/10/2026

In particular, payments made in order to have products referenced or, in accordance with agreements, to participate in advertising campaigns with the distributors, are deducted from related revenue.

Revenue recognition: distributor listing and advertising agreements · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Provisions for product returns Perfumes and Cosmetics companies and, to a lesser extent, Fashion and Leather Goods and Watches and Jewelry companies may accept the return of unsold or outdated products from their customers and distributors.

Provisions for product returns · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Businesses undertaken in partnership with Diageo A significant proportion of revenue for the Group’s Wines and Spirits businesses is generated within the framework of distribution agreements with Diageo, generally taking the form of shared entities that sell and deliver both groups’ products to customers; the income statement and balance sheet of these entities is apportioned between LVMH and Diageo based on distribution agreements.

Businesses undertaken in partnership with Diageo · Retrieved 19/10/2026

While maintaining a firm pricing policy as part of their value strategy, the champagne houses continued to achieve high sales volumes, achieving a record market share of Champagne - appellation shipments.

Wines and Spirits: champagne pricing policy · Retrieved 19/10/2026

The sales associate will then confirm to you in writing the details of your order, including the total price (including VAT and any delivery costs, if any).

Louis Vuitton UK consumer sale terms, Store Distance Sales: price confirmation · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Our acceptance of orders is subject to availability and will be confirmed to you by email or SMS.

Louis Vuitton UK consumer sale terms: order acceptance subject to availability · Retrieved 19/10/2026

- Within 4 consecutive weeks a client cannot: (i) purchase more than 6 Leather Goods (including Small Leather Goods), 6 Accessories, 6 Perfumes, 6 Pairs of Shoes or 6 pieces per type of Ready to Wear; (ii) purchase more than 2 of the same identical products; and/or (iii) conduct more than 8 transactions of all kinds of products.

Louis Vuitton UK consumer sale terms: purchase quantity and transaction limits · Retrieved 19/10/2026

Publication history

Publication history
VersionUpdatedCompetitive advantage
1128/10/2026narrow
1027/10/2026narrow
924/10/2026narrow
823/10/2026narrow
722/10/2026narrow
619/10/2026narrow
519/10/2026narrow
419/10/2026narrow
318/10/2026narrow
218/10/2026narrow

Sources

Research methodology and limitations · What is an economic moat?