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Kohl's
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Kohl’s tumbles after the department store chain slashes its dividend, warns of weak sales ahead

The OG department store chain sounded the alarm on a pullback from lower-income consumers.

Nia Warfield

Kohl’s shares sank as much as 20% in early trading after the department store dropped less-than-stellar earnings for the Q4 holiday quarter. The bright spot: adjusted diluted earnings per share came in at $0.95, well above the $0.73 consensus estimate. Revenue for the quarter reached $5.17 billion, just shy of the expected $5.18 billion. Meanwhile, comparable (same-store) sales slid nearly 7%, also missing estimates. To shore up cash flow, the retailer also slashed its quarterly dividend to $0.12 from $0.50.

Like its peers, Kohl’s is feeling the squeeze as more shoppers pull back on nonessentials. While inflation has eased, management noted on the earnings call that those earning under $50,000 — and even those under $100,000 — are cutting back, with the potential for more pullback in the coming months. Kohl’s also highlighted the ongoing challenge of fine-tuning its coupon strategy, as it tries to strike the right balance between popular national brands and its own in-house labels. Despite these challenges, Kohl’s says the company’s supply chain is still a “well-oiled machine” and “isn’t over indexed in any particular country.”

Looking ahead, it’s not pretty. Kohl’s expects net sales to fall 5% to 7% this year, well below expectations. Earnings guidance is also bleak, with full-year diluted EPS forecast between $0.10 and $0.60 — a far cry from analyst projections of $1.22. The high end of its EPS guidance is actually even below what the least optimistic sell-side shop had penciled in. This continues the discouraging trend of retailers’ guidance for 2025 coming in shy of Wall Street’s forecasts.

Kohl’s is also bracing for weaker comparable sales and is set to close its 27th store.

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Nike sinks to lowest level since 2014 after warning of “challenged” sales environment in Q4 report

Did Nike do it?

Investors had a mixed reaction after the global sports apparel company reported its fourth quarter earnings on Tuesday after the bell. Shares initially rose 5% as Nike beat out Wall Street expectations amid a hefty tariff refund bonus. However, the stock then sank to its lowest level since August 2014 in postmarket trading.

Here are the Q4 numbers:

  • Revenue of $11.0 billion (estimate: $10.8 billion).

  • Adjusted earnings per share of $0.20 (estimate: $0.12).

Ahead of this report, Nike warned that results would be flattered by a one-time tariff refund (now estimated at roughly $0.52 per share for the bottom line). That gave the company an extra cushion in snapping its streak of seven quarters of year-over-year profit declines.

Over the past year, the company had been punished by tariffs on imported goods, stagnant consumer spending, and increasing competition from other footwear brands like New Balance, Adidas, and Hoka.

Outgoing CFO Matthew Friend deemed it an “increasingly challenging operating environment, where sell-through remains challenged.”

markets

Rocket Lab deal lifts space stocks

Shares of Rocket Lab are surging after announcing an $8 billion acquisition of satellite communications operator Iridium Communications, helping lift a broader basket of space-related stocks as investors piled back into the sector.

Planet Labs, AST SpaceMobile and Redwire all traded higher alongside Rocket Lab, extending gains in an industry that has drawn enhanced investor attention in recent months in light of the strategic importance that governments place on space and satellite communications infrastructure.

In a presentation, Rocket Lab’s management called the purchase “a shortcut” for its satellite communications business.

Under the terms of the agreement, Iridium shareholders will receive $27 in cash and Rocket Lab stock, valuing Iridium at $54 per share. Backed by a $3.6 billion bridge loan committed by Deutsche Bank and Wells Fargo, Rocket Lab absorbs Iridium’s globally licensed spectrum and an active base of 2.5 million subscribers.

Rocket Lab has also remained one of the most active launch providers in the sector. The company completed its 12th launch of the year last week, maintaining one of the highest launch cadences among commercial space companies.

Today's rally helps offset a brutal stretch for the group. Rocket Lab shares had fallen over 35% over the prior month, while Planet Labs stock was down more than 40% and AST SpaceMobile stock was down around 30% over the same window.

markets
Jake Lahut

Comcast shares rise on news of NBCUniversal spinoff deal

Comcast rose on the news that the telecom behemoth is spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky from its cable portfolio. 

Comcast initially jumped up to 17% in early trading, with the deal leaving management to focus on its core verticals of cable, wireless, and business services. 

NBCUniversal and Sky will form a new publicly traded company, similar to Versant Media, the holding company of CNBC and MS NOW that Comcast officially spun off in January. Bravo, one of the most lucrative properties that remained at Comcast, will remain part of NBCUniversal in the deal. The Universal theme parks and studios will also come with the new spinoff entity, along with Telemundo and Peacock.

Mike Cavanagh, the co-CEO of Comcast, will become the CEO for NBCUniversal, according to CNBC. 

The spinoff will be completed in about a year, according to a Comcast company statement. Its shareholders will also own shares in NBCUniversal, according to the same statement.

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