Kohl's Corporation

KSS

Department Stores · Consumer Cyclical

Price

$17.30

-0.19 (-1.09%)

Market Cap

$1.96B

Winston Score

Winston is serious

Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.

Share count falling — buybacks

−22.3% over 4y

The company has reduced its share count over this period, returning value to shareholders through buybacks.

Diluted shares outstanding: 148.0M (2022) → 115.0M (2026)

Kohl's is a large American department store chain that sells clothing, shoes, home goods, and accessories. It targets middle-income families and shoppers looking for discounted name-brand items. The company operates roughly 1,100 stores across the United States and also runs an e-commerce website.

Kohl's makes money primarily through direct product sales in its stores and online. It operates exclusively in the United States, making it vulnerable to shifts in American consumer spending. The company has faced years of declining store traffic as shoppers move online, and its thin 3.2% operating margin leaves little room for error. The main challenge ahead is reversing falling sales while managing debt and competing against both fast-fashion retailers and e-commerce giants like Amazon, with which Kohl's has a partnership allowing customers to return Amazon packages in-store.

Winston Score History

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

-4.2% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue declining

EPS Growth

+160.5% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (4%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

1.8%ownership

→ Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$119M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue declining

Kohl's Corporation's revenue is actually shrinking. In a growth stock, that removes the core investment thesis. The low Winston Score here may be warranted — unless there's a turnaround story.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Gross Margin

35.7%

Modest — 35.7% gross margin

Operating Margin

4.1%

Thin — 4.1% operating margin

ROCE

3.7%

Weak — 3.7% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY

+6.4%

Slow sales growth (6.4% YoY)

EPS YoY

+27.3%

Earnings growing fast (27.3% YoY)

Earnings growing 25%+ a year. The compounder zone.

EPS Consistency

4/8 quarters

Earnings inconsistent quarter-to-quarter

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion

619%

Turns 619% of profit into real cash

FCF Margin

9.3%

Modest free cash flow (9.3%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

Debt / Equity

0.40

Conservative — low debt load (0.40)

Interest Cover

2.28x

Tight — interest eats into profit (2.3x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

5.8x

Attractive valuation — P/E 5.8

P/E under 10. The price tag is small relative to last year's profit.

P/E vs Forward

-6.7

SLOWING

Earnings expected to fall — forward P/E higher than today

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Dividends

Dividend Yield

2.85%

Moderate income — 2.85% yield

Standard yield zone for stable dividend payers. A meaningful piece of total return.

Dividend Growth

-60.0%

Dividend cut (-60.0% YoY) — warning sign

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