Kohl's vs Macy's
Add, change or remove companies; up to four.
KIRA’s take AI analyst
I put Kohl's and Macy's side by side, using each one’s latest annual report. Here is what stands out:
- Macy's is the larger business, with $22.6B of revenue in fiscal 2025 against $15.5B for Kohl's.
- Macy's grew revenue faster (−1.7%, against −4.3%).
- Macy's kept more of each dollar of sales as operating profit (4.6% operating margin, against 4.0%).
- Kohl's turned more of its sales into free cash flow (6.5% FCF margin, against 4.7%).
- Macy's earned a higher return on the capital invested in it (12.9%, against 7.2%).
- Investors pay more for each dollar of Kohl's’s earnings: a P/E of 10.3x against 8.6x for Macy's.
Who comes out ahead
Of the 11 measures where higher (or lower) is clearly better, how many each company leads.
Kohl's
KSS
2/11
Gross marginFCF margin
Macy's
M
9/11
Revenue growth5-year growthOperating marginNet marginReturn on capitalReturn on equityPiotroski F-scoreNet debt / EBITDAShare count change
Side by side
Best in the row
| Latest fiscal year | KSS FY25 | M FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| Market cap | $2.8B | $6.4B |
| Revenue | $15.5B | $22.6B |
| Free cash flow | $1.0B | $1.1B |
| Net income | $272M | $642M |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth | −4.3% | −1.7% |
| 5-year growth | −0.5% | 5.5% |
| Share count change | 1.8% | −1.8% |
| Profitability | ||
| Gross margin | 40.6% | 40.3% |
| Operating margin | 4.0% | 4.6% |
| Net margin | 1.8% | 2.8% |
| FCF margin | 6.5% | 4.7% |
| Return on capital | 7.2% | 12.9% |
| Return on equity | 6.9% | 13.6% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net debt | $2.8B | $1.2B |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 2.1x | 0.6x |
| Dividends and buybacks | $56.0M | $447M |
| Valuation & quality | ||
| P/E | 10.3x | 8.6x |
| Piotroski F-score | 7 | 8 |
Ten years
Revenue
Operating margin
Free cash flow
Return on capital
Each company's latest fiscal year; fiscal years end in different months. The best value in each row is highlighted where higher (or lower) is clearly better. Not investment advice.