# Kohls Corporation (KSS) — Stock CV

Kohls Corporation 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.

> 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.

## Identity

- **Ticker**: KSS
- **Sector**: Consumer Cyclical
- **Industry**: Retail-Department Stores
- **Headquarters**: MENOMONEE FALLS, WI
- **Employees**: 84 000
- **Website**: https://www.kohls.com
- **Market cap**: $2.31B
- **Last price**: $20.35
- **Financial profile**: Strained

## Vitals (TTM)

- **Revenue**: $32.1B
- **Net income**: $532M
- **Free cash flow**: $1.51B
- **Net debt**: $5.60B
- **P/E**: 8.5
- **Revenue growth (YoY)**: -18.6%

## Skills (profile scores, 0–100)

| Pillar | Score |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 80 |
| Growth | 0 |
| Profitability | 21 |
| Health | 30 |
| Quality | 80 |
| Moat | 36 |

## Qualifications (beginner checklist) — 8 of 11 passed

- [ ] Revenue growing — -18.6% YoY
- [x] Profitable — $532M TTM
- [ ] Profit growing — -77.3% YoY
- [x] Generates cash — $1.51B TTM
- [x] Debt under control — ~3.7y of cash flow to repay
- [x] Established company — $2.31B market cap
- [x] Not printing shares — -10.8% shares over ~5y
- [x] Proven track record — 11/12 profitable years
- [ ] Financially stable — Altman Z 1.0 — distress
- [x] Pays a dividend — yield 2.43%
- [x] Valuation not extreme — P/E 8.5

## Experience (career milestones)

- **2023** — It was announced that Kohler is establishing the Energy group independently and would be bought in…
- **FY2021** — Best year on record: $1.99B net income
- **2018** — At CES 2018 Kohler unveiled a new product line called Kohler Konnect, consisting of smart connected plumbing…
- **2017** — Kohler Co. acquired UK-based Clarke Energy from the management team and ECI Partners, a…
- **FY2016** — First recorded profitable year: $1.03B net income
- **FY2016** — Revenue already above $10B: $43.3B in first reported year
- **2007** — Kohler created a joint venture in China called Kohler-YinXiang Ltd., based in Chongqing, China, to…
- **1984** — Kohler acquired Sterling Faucet Company
- **1920** — Kohler was the first company to offer residential backup generators, starting in 1920
- **1873** — Kohler Co., is an American manufacturing company founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, based in Kohler, Wisconsin

## 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

## Track record

| Year | Revenue | Net income | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $40.7B | $198M | -$1.07B |
| FY2024 | $37.7B | $223M | -$421M |
| FY2025 | $35.9B | $543M | $1.43B |
| FY2026 | $35.7B | $541M | $1.50B |
| FY2027 | $9.85B | $123M | $174M |

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Source: https://stockcv.com/KSS — derived from company filings; may be delayed or incomplete. Information, not investment advice.