Understand any stock in simple English
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Garmin makes GPS gadgets for fitness, outdoors, flying, and boating.
Garmin sells gadgets that know where you are. Best known for car GPS units years ago, it now makes most of its money from wearable watches and outdoor devices. It has five main pieces: fitness trackers and smartwatches, outdoor handhelds, aviation gear, marine electronics, and auto products. Fitness and outdoor together bring in the biggest slice of revenue, while aviation and marine are smaller but higher-profit.
Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of location tech. A runner buys a Forerunner watch to track pace and heart rate. A hiker grabs an inReach device to send SOS messages where cell service dies. A pilot mounts a Garmin panel in a small plane. A fisherman uses a Garmin chartplotter on his boat. Customers pay a premium because Garmin's gear is tough, accurate, and works offline. The company is headquartered in Switzerland but runs most operations from Kansas, and it sells worldwide.
Garmin earns about $5 billion a year and keeps growing, especially in wearables and aviation. It holds little debt, pays a dividend, and buys back stock. Recent pushes include advanced health sensors, satellite messaging, and cockpit upgrades for planes. The simple story: Garmin turned old-school GPS into a cash machine that keeps finding new wrists, boats, and cockpits to live in.
Saved answer · last researched 11 Oct 2026