Whether it's Bourbon Street, Sesame Street or Wall Street, you're going to need shoes on your feet. On campus streets and sidewalks, Crocs, Tivas and Nikes can make college students nationwide think that they're walking on air - and sometimes at a blistering pace!

   So, let's take a look at the parent companies of these three popular shoe brands and see if their comfy shoes are worthy investments or whether those stocks just don't fit well into your portfolio.

Crocs Inc.  (CROX)

Snapshot: Crocs designs, develops, and manufactures products from specialty resins worldwide, including men's, women's and children's shoes under the Crocs brand. It also sells outdoorsy shirts, hats, socks and sports equipment.

PRICE: $57.74

Pros:

• Crocs' stock has soared a mind-boggling 70% since the company crushed first quarter earnings estimates like a surly reptile snapping its tail at nearby prey - to the tune of 24% above expectations!

• Crocs has signed lucrative licensing agreements with the National Football League, National Hockey League, NASCAR, Marvel Entertainment and others.  This helps explain a 287% year-over-year hyper growth in first-quarter earnings and a 216% expansion in revenues.
  
• Crocs started as a company that made shoes for boating and other aquatic activities. But now they are impressively diversified with products for canoeing, kayaking, hockey and home spa pillows. Talk about not putting all your crocodile eggs in one basket.
  
  
  

 Cons:

• Shares are up more than 300% since its February 2006 IPO. You've got to wonder when Crocs shareholders might want to grab some of their profits and run, all the while leaving new investors with nothing more than a bag of alligator shoes.

• Earnings are expected to drop by a penny quarter-over-quarter from Q2 to Q3.  But keep in mind that these same earnings will still jump a jaw-dropping 131% and 65% year-over-year. 
• It'll be interesting to find out exactly just how much Crocs paid for a licensing deal with Warner Bros. to have cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo on their shoes. If the price was too much, it could make investors shed more than a few crocodile tears.

Nike Inc. (NKE)

Snapshot: Nike designs and sells shoes in 160 countries, plus apparel and equipment for a number of popular sports. Nike also owns Cole Haan dress and casual shoes, while it operates Niketown stores, Nike factory outlets and Nike Women shops.

PRICE: $56.56

Pros:

•  With $14.9 billion in sales and $1.3 billion in net income, Nike has become the Microsoft of athletic footwear - taking in a whopping 20% of the industry's annual sales.

• The company sinks its feet into things outside of shoes, including clothing, hats, golf balls and assorted sports merchandise. This diversification protects Nike during lean times in the sales cycle.

• The company continues to be innovative and hip with multiple generations, as shoes such as Nike Air, continue to be stylish and comfortable both here and overseas. In addition, shares have jumped 50% over the past year, and analysts believe that future sales growth looks promising.
  
  
  

Cons: 

• When you tie your company to spokespeople - especially athletes - you always run the risk they will stumble publicly and cause your shares to step on your toes.  Fortunately, Nike has for the most part done well with its top-line athletes keeping themselves out of lineups at the downtown precinct.
   

• Nike still has the stigma of having hired young children in their overseas factories to manufacture expensive shoes for low wages. Nike insists that it is now complying with child labor laws worldwide, but any new instance could have the public throwing their shoes in the can.

• The company's middle-price footwear line has apparently stubbed a toe with domestic sales lately, as shoppers have laced up their pocketbooks since the economy slowed down at the beginning of the year.
  
  
  

Deckers Outdoor Corp. (DECK)
Snapshot: Deckers builds niche products into global lifestyle brands by designing and marketing innovative, functional and fashion-oriented footwear, such as Teva, Simple and UGG.

PRICE: $100.95

Pros:

• Deckers' sales jumped 15 percent last year on sales of $300 million, as after years of shunning Teva Sandals like a bad blister, I relented and allowed my wife to buy me a pair.  Oooh, I feel so Granola! 

• In good times and bad, there is always somebody out there crazy enough to spend $300 on a pair of shoes like the ever-popular Fluff Momma. Yet, this fashion statement du jour was a big reason why Deckers' UGG division accounted for 60 percent of the company's sales. 

• Share prices have gone from $25 just three years ago to more than $100 recently.  A 300% share price growth is something to click your heels about for sure.

Cons:

• The company is mainly leveraged on fashion trends, even with non-logo models under the Simple brand doing quite well. But any chic company runs the danger of no longer being the "in-thing."

• Keep an eye on insider sales, which can sometimes be a sign of trouble ahead.  But when you are company chairman Douglas Otto, you have rights to exercise 180,000 shares at a price ranging from $3.13-$19 and then immediately sell them for between $100-$101.65 each, can you blame him? 
• You've got to wonder how much more can Deckers' shares rise, especially after a surge that resembles the growth spurt of a teenager.

Michael Abramowitz is a freelance writer based in Florida. To avoid a conflict of interest, he does not currently own any of the stocks mentioned above.

• Price quotes are from August 1, 2007.

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