The guidance excludes 22 cents a share related to debt and impairment write-offs, store closings and other costs.Analysts polled by FactSet were projecting full-year earnings of $4.88 a share. CEO Michelle Gass indicated that Kohl’s continues to see momentum in areas such as digital business, active, beauty and children’s, and solid performance in footwear and men’s, while there was weakness in women’s which they are “working with speed to address.”

Nordstrom Inc. posted stronger-than-expected third quarter earnings, and also boosted its full-year profit guidance. For the three months ending on November 2, earnings came in at 81 cents per share, surpassing the Street consensus expectation of 64 cents per share. Total revenues of 3.672 billion exceeded analysts' estimates, although falling - 2% from the year-ago quarter. Co-President Erik Nordstrom emphasized on the Off Price business’ positive sales growth and increased profitability through strong inventory and expense execution as some of the strengths in the quarter. Digital sales rose +7% from the year-ago quarter; the segment  now accounts for more than a third of the company's total revenues.But it re-iterated its forecast of a -2% decline in net sales.

The company also slashed its full-year profit guidance. The retail company’s  adjusted earnings for the three months ending on November 2 came in at 74 cents per share, well below the Street estimate of 86 cents per share.The figure is also -24.4% lower compared to the year-ago quarter. Revenues, however, increased +5.8% year-over-year to $4.625 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations of $4.4 billion. For the full fiscal year 2019, Kolhl’s now expects earnings to range between $4.75 and $4.95 per share, down from its prior forecast of $5.15 to $5.40 per share.

Penney is reportedly exploring debt restructuring options, hoping to turn things around for its money-losing business. Before its total debt of roughly $4 billion comes due in the next few years, the retail giant - struggling with dwindling margins – seems to be trying to ameliorate the situation as much as it can.Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNBC reported that J.C. Penney has hired advisers for figuring out options on debt restructuring. The company is looking for ways to raise additional cash and/or negotiate with creditors to extend debt maturities, as indicated by the report.

The retail company also lowered its fiscal-year guidance, while admitting its missteps with customers. The company's adjusted earnings for the quarter came in at 23 cents per share, falling heavily behind analysts’ expectations of 42 cents. Sales of $3.4 billion also fell short of analysts’ estimates of $3.6 billion.They were also lower than the year-ago quarter’s $3.6 billion. Co-president Erik Nordstrom said that the company had “executional misses” with its customers, and that it is taking steps to turn things around and improve customer services.  For the full fiscal year, Nordstrom revised down its earnings forecast to a range of $3.25 to $3.65 a share, compared to prior guidance of $3.65 to $3.90.

Penney (NYSE: JCP) recently posted its third straight quarter of negative comparable-store sales, dousing hopes that CEO Jill Soltau, who took the top job last October, would halt the retailer's downward spiral.J.C. Penney's comps declined 5.5% in the first quarter as its revenue fell 5.6% to $2.44 billion.

Nordstrom, Inc. JWN 7.82% shares are getting pummeled, passing a 52-week low in the after-hours session after reporting a disappointing first quarter.

Currently, Kohl’s focus is mainly on women’s, men’s and children’s clothing with little presence in the home goods category that accounts for only a small part of its overall business. On the other hand, At Home has also been exploring a sale and is already in advanced negotiation stage with private equity firms like Hellman & Friedman.So, Kohl’s goal of acquiring At Home may not finally materialize and the latter may choose to sell to a buyout firm instead. Currently, At Home has a market capitalization of $1.3 billion.

Kohl’s announced that it will be expanding its agreement with Amazon. Under the deal, customers who shopped online on Amazon would be able to return unpacked products to Kohl’s brick-and-mortar stores.The returns policy will soon be active at around 1,150 Kohl’s locations nationwide – compared to 100 stores when the agreement was first started in 2017. The deal could be a potential win-win for the two companies.

JC Penney on Tuesday named Bill Wafford as the company’s new executive vice president and chief financial officer, starting April 8. Read More...

The daily stochastic readings are close to overbought territory and did just perform a bearish crossover. The Tickeron AI Prediction tool generated a bearish signal on Fossil on March 1.The prediction had a confidence level of 70% and previous predictions have been correct 75% of the time. Fossil’s fundamentals are somewhat mixed.

J.C.Penney says it will close 18 department stores and nine home and furniture shops in 2019. Read More...

Some of Macy’s brands like Nike (NKE) and Coach have now opened standalone stores and at the same time have also ramped up their own websites. Taking into account this current retail situation, Macy’s has decided to invest in five select areas in 2019.First is its Growth150 Plan where the company will further upgrade its more profitable stores with new lighting, fixtures and merchandise. Second, focusing on Macy’s Backstage, the off-price business of the company that sells apparel and home goods at hefty discounts.

itch Ratings lowers the long-term default rating on J.C. Penney (JCP+0.8%) to B- from B. Read More... 

Kohl’s Corp. shares plunged  -7.2% on Thursday, after the retail chain reported weaker sales growth for the holiday season compared to last year. Kohl’s same-store sales for the November-to-December holiday period increased +1.2%, less than the year-ago period’s nearly +7%. However, Michelle Gass, Kohl's CEO, seemed more optimistic.Gass said in a statement, "We are delighted with our 1.2% shifted comparable sales increase for the holiday period, which builds on the positive momentum we have achieved throughout the year".

Earnings are expected to come in around $4 a share, below the prior projection of as much as $4.30. According to the retail chain, the major factors behind the downward revisions include under-performance in categories such as women’s sportswear, fashion jewelry and cosmetics, along with challenges in fulfilling orders following a fire at its West Virginia distribution center.Although the holiday season began on a high note, there was a drag during the mid-December period, as indicated by Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette. The news led to its shares dropping by as much as -18 percent on Thursday, marking the sharpest intraday decline since October 2008.    

JC Penny, the struggling American department store chain, saw its shares dip below $1 for the first time since it started trading in 1929. The company has not been profitable since 2010, and has bonds rated as junk owing to its $4 billion debt, a sinking cash pile and with no sign of a turnaround.With more than a 68% decline in the share prices of the company from a year ago, its market cap dropped to roughly $310 million. Faced by the inventory glut and supply chain struggles, the company offered steep discounts on clothing to clear its massive inventory.

JC Penney’s stock price dropped almost below $1 on Wednesday – for the first time since 1929 when it began trading on a stock exchange. The department store chain has been incurring losses since 2010, and is currently knee-deep in $4 billion debt with a junk credit rating.JC Penney had a $151 million loss in its third quarter. The company is considering additional store closures. Its attempted turnaround strategies, such as selling appliances a few years ago, seems to have been unable to create the effect the firm is desperately in need of.

The news sent its shares down -11% in after-market trading on Thursday. The luxury department store chain revealed on Thursday that it will refund $72 million to customers who were incorrectly charged higher interest rates on store credit cards that were delinquent.We realize customers and shareholders place a great deal of trust in us, and that’s a responsibility we take seriously,” Nordstrom said on a conference call with analysts. Nordstrom’s compensation to customers subtracted 29 cents from its earnings per share for the latest reported quarter.

JC Penney’s third quarter results do little to brighten things up for a retailer that has been struggling with thinning margins for a while. In the fiscal third quarter ended Nov. 3, 2018, the retail chain incurred an adjusted net loss of $164 million ($0.52 per share) –  worse than the $108 million ($0.35 per share) loss of the year ago-period. Total net sales declined -5.8 % to $2.65 billion, from $2.82 billion a year ago. Comparable sales decreased -5.4 % for the third quarter.