Kohl's is the second-largest traditional US department store company by sales. It has about 1,150 stores in 49 states and offers moderately priced private-label (31% of 2025 sales) and national brand clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, and home furnishings.
It is a $2.31B consumer company. Revenue shrank 18.6% over the last year, it keeps 2¢ of every dollar of sales as profit, and its net debt equals ~3.7 years of free cash flow. It trades at 8.5× earnings — around the middle of its own history.
- Website
- kohls.com
- Location
- Menomonee Falls, WI
- Employees
- 84 000
- Sector
- Consumer Cyclical
- Founded
- 1873
Skills
Six independent scores, 0–100, built from reported numbers and valuation history. Click a row to see how it was scored.
Strong valuation and quality; Growth, Profitability, Health and Moat lag behind.
Valuation80
- P/E vs own history61th pct · 5/25
- FCF yield65.5% · 25/25
- P/S0.1x · 25/25
- EV/EBITDA4.0x · 25/25
Growth0
- Revenue CAGR-3.8% · 0/25
- Net income CAGRn/a · 0/25
- EPS CAGR ~5Y-19.4% · 0/25
- Fwd implied growth-18.0% · 0/25
Profitability21
- ROIC1.3% · 5/25
- ROE6.7% · 5/25
- Net margin1.7% · 6/25
- Operating margin3.8% · 5/25
Health30
- Altman Z0.96 · 3/25
- Current ratio1.49 · 12/25
- Interest coverage2.2x · 10/25
- Net cash / debtD/A 42% · 5/25
Quality80
- Piotroski F4/9 · 10/25
- Beneish M-4.40 · 25/25
- FCF conversion371% · 25/25
- Margin stabilityσ 6.0% · 20/25
Moat36
- ROIC >12% years8/12 yrs · 13/25
- Median gross margin40.5% · 13/25
- FCF-positive years9/12 yrs · 10/25
- Worst-year net marginworst -5.0% · 0/25
Experience
The company's career so far — founding, the IPO, landmark products and acquisitions, plus revenue milestones and insider buying.
- 2023AcquisitionIt was announced that Kohler is establishing the Energy group independently and would be bought in…
- FY2021FinancialBest year on record$1.99B net income
- 2018ProductAt CES 2018 Kohler unveiled a new product line called Kohler Konnect, consisting of smart connected plumbing…
- 2017AcquisitionKohler Co. acquired UK-based Clarke Energy from the management team and ECI Partners, a…
- FY2016FinancialFirst recorded profitable year$1.03B net income
- FY2016FinancialRevenue already above $10B$43.3B in first reported year
- 2007ProductKohler created a joint venture in China called Kohler-YinXiang Ltd., based in Chongqing, China, to…
- 1984AcquisitionKohler acquired Sterling Faucet Company
- 1920MilestoneKohler was the first company to offer residential backup generators, starting in 1920
- 1873FoundedKohler Co., is an American manufacturing company founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, based in Kohler, Wisconsin
Achievements
Verifiable track record, straight from the reported numbers.
Strengths & watch-outs
What a bull and a bear would each point to. Both lists come from the reported numbers, not opinions.
Strengths
- High gross margin (41.2%)
Watch-outs
- Revenue shrinking 18.6% year over year
- Altman Z-Score 0.96 — elevated financial-distress risk
- Net debt would take ~5.6 years of free cash flow to repay
- Loss-making in 3 of the recent years
Qualifications
The basics a company should meet before you research it further. Each check uses the reported numbers.
- Revenue growing — the company sells more than a year ago-18.6% YoY
- Profitable — makes more than it spends$532M TTM
- Profit growing — earnings are higher than last year-77.3% YoY
- Generates cash — cash left after running and investing$1.51B TTM
- Debt under control — could handle its obligations~3.7y of cash flow to repay
- Established company — not a micro-cap — lower blow-up risk$2.31B market cap
- Not printing shares — share count not ballooning — you keep your slice-10.8% shares over ~5y
- Proven track record — years of profitability behind it11/12 profitable years
- Financially stable — balance sheet not near distressAltman Z 1.0 — distress
- Pays a dividend — returns cash to shareholdersyield 2.43%
- Valuation not extreme — price not wildly above earningsP/E 8.5
Peer comparisonKohls Corporation vs 6 largest consumer cyclical peers — cap, P/E, growth and margin side by sideOpen ▾Close ▴
| Company | Market cap | P/E | Revenue growth | Net margin | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KSS this company | $2.3B | 8.5 | -18.6% | 1.7% | Strained |
| AMZN Amazon.Com Inc | $2.8T | 20.9 | +15.8% | 17.4% | Mixed |
| TSLA Tesla, Inc. | $1.5T | 397.1 | +11.8% | 3.7% | Strong |
| NFLX NetFlix Inc | $292.8B | 21.4 | +16.0% | 28.2% | Solid |
| HD Home Depot, Inc. | $290.4B | 20.4 | -16.0% | 8.7% | Solid |
| DIS The Walt Disney Company | $186.5B | 21.7 | +4.6% | 8.7% | Solid |
| MCD McDonald's Corporation | $166.9B | 18.9 | +6.3% | 31.7% | Strained |
Head-to-head: KSS vs AMZN · KSS vs TSLA · KSS vs NFLX
References
What covering analysts publish about the company — information only, not a recommendation.
Appendix · Financial records
The full statements behind this CV, FY2016–FY2027. For readers who want to check the numbers.
Live data and quarterly detail: stockcv.com/KSS
Want the live picture — intraday moves, valuation history and full analysis?
Deeper analysis of KSS on PreMarketPriceFigures are derived from company filings (quarterly values normalised from as-filed year-to-date data where applicable) and may be delayed, restated or incomplete. This page is information, not investment advice. Latest price $20.35 · market cap $2.31B.