EX-99.1 2 d42370dex991.htm EX-99.1 EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

Kohl’s Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Results

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—August 27, 2025—Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS) today reported results for the second quarter ended August 2, 2025.

 

   

Net sales decreased 5.1% and comparable sales decreased 4.2%

 

   

Gross margin increased 28 basis points

 

   

Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) of $1.35 and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.56 (a)

 

   

Raises full year 2025 financial outlook

Michael Bender, Kohl’s Interim Chief Executive Officer, said “Kohl’s second quarter performance is a testament to the progress we are making against our 2025 initiatives. This resulted in sales performance that came in ahead of our expectations. While it is clear that these initiatives are beginning to resonate with our customers, our team remains focused on delivering progressive improvement throughout the remainder of the year against a challenging economic backdrop.

In addition to our top line progress, we managed the business with great discipline in the quarter. We were able to expand our gross margins, reduce our inventory, and lower our expenses, leading to solid second quarter earnings. I continue to be impressed with our entire team at Kohl’s and am thankful for all their hard work.” Bender continued.

Second Quarter 2025 Results

Comparisons refer to the 13-week period ended August 2, 2025 versus the 13-week period ended August 3, 2024

 

   

Net sales decreased 5.1% year-over-year, to $3.3 billion, with comparable sales down 4.2%.

 

   

Gross margin as a percentage of net sales was 39.9%, an increase of 28 basis points.

 

   

Selling, general & administrative (SG&A) expenses decreased 4.1% year-over-year, to $1.2 billion. As a percentage of total revenue, SG&A expenses were 33.8%, an increase of 32 basis points year-over-year.

 

   

Gain on legal settlement was $129 million from a credit card interchange fee lawsuit settlement.

 

   

Operating income was $279 million compared to $166 million in the prior year. As a percentage of total revenue, operating income was 7.9%, an increase of 343 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted operating income was $161 million compared to $166 million in the prior year. As a percentage of total revenue, adjusted operating income was 4.6%. (a)

 

   

Net income was $153 million, or $1.35 per diluted share, and adjusted net income of $64 million, or $0.56 per adjusted diluted share. This compares to net income of $66 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, in the prior year. (a)

 

   

Inventory was $3.0 billion, a decrease of 5% year-over-year.

 

   

Operating cash flow was $598 million compared to $254 million in the prior year.

 

   

Current portion of long-term debt was reduced by $353 million through repayment of the 4.25% notes due July 2025 at maturity.

 

   

Borrowings under revolving credit facility were $75 million, a decrease of $335 million year-over-year.

 

   

Long-term debt increased $347 million through issuance of $360 million of 10.000% senior secured notes due 2030.

Six Months Fiscal Year 2025 Results

Comparisons refer to the 26-week period ended August 2, 2025 versus the 26-week period ended August 3, 2024

 

   

Net sales decreased 4.6% year-over-year, to $6.4 billion, with comparable sales down 4.0%.

 

   

Gross margin as a percentage of net sales was 39.9%, an increase of 33 basis points.

 

   

Selling, general & administrative (SG&A) expenses decreased 4.7% year-over-year, to $2.4 billion. As a percentage of total revenue, SG&A expenses were 34.9%, an increase of 2 basis points year-over-year.

 

   

Gain on legal settlement was $129 million from a credit card interchange fee lawsuit settlement.

 

   

Operating income was $339 million compared to $209 million in the prior year. As a percentage of total revenue, operating income was 5.0%, an increase of 207 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted operating income was $221 million compared to $209 million in the prior year. As a percentage of total revenue, adjusted operating income was 3.3%. (a)

 

   

Net income was $139 million, or $1.23 per diluted share, and adjusted net income of $50 million, or $0.44 per adjusted diluted share. This compares to net income of $39 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, in the prior year. (a)

 

   

Operating cash flow was $506 million compared to $247 million in the prior year.

 

   

Current portion of long-term debt was reduced by $353 million through repayment of the 4.25% notes due July 2025 at maturity.

 

   

Borrowings under revolving credit facility were $75 million, a decrease of $335 million year-over-year.

 

   

Long-term debt increased $347 million due to issuance of $360 million of 10.000% senior secured notes due 2030.


2025 Financial and Capital Allocation Outlook

For the full year 2025, the Company currently expects the following, excluding the impact of items not representative of our core operating performance:

 

   

Net sales: A decrease of (5%) to a decrease of (6%)

 

   

Comparable sales: A decrease of (4%) to a decrease of (5%)

 

   

Adjusted operating margin: In the range of 2.5% to 2.7% (a)

 

   

Adjusted diluted EPS: In the range of $0.50 to $0.80 (a)

 

   

Capital Expenditures: Approximately $400 million

 

   

Dividend: On August 12, 2025, Kohl’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on the Company’s common stock of $0.125 per share. The dividend is payable September 24, 2025 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 10, 2025.

 

(a)

Non-GAAP financial measures. Please see the “RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES” for a reconciliation of operating income to adjusted operating income, net income to adjusted net income, and diluted earnings per share to adjusted diluted earnings per share.

Second Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference Call

Kohl’s will host its quarterly earnings conference call at 9:00 am ET on August 27, 2025. A webcast of the conference call and the related presentation materials will be available via the Company’s web site at investors.kohls.com, both live and after the call.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Non-GAAP Measures

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipates,” “plans,” or similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include the information under “2025 Financial and Capital Allocation Outlook.” Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks described more fully in Item 1A in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Item 1A of Part II of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of fiscal 2025, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Forward-looking statements relate to the date initially made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them.

This press release contains certain financial measures that are not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including adjusted operating income, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share. These non-GAAP financial measures are provided as additional insight into our operational performance and do not purport to be substitutes for, or superior to, operating income, net income, or diluted earnings per share as a measure of operating performance. We believe these adjusted measures are useful, as they are more representative of our core business, enhance comparability across reporting periods and to industry peers, and align with the measures used by management to evaluate the Company’s performance. We caution investors that non-GAAP measures should not be viewed in isolation and should be evaluated in addition to, and not as an alternative for, our results reported in accordance with GAAP. Because companies may use different calculation methods, these measures may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures reported by other companies. A reconciliation of each non-GAAP measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is included in this release.

About Kohl’s

Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a leading omnichannel retailer built on a foundation that combines great brands, incredible value and convenience for our customers. Kohl’s is uniquely positioned to deliver against its long-term strategy and its purpose to take care of families’ realest moments. Kohl’s serves millions of families in its more than 1,100 stores in 49 states, online at Kohls.com, and through the Kohl’s App. With a large national footprint, Kohl’s is committed to making a positive impact in the communities it serves. For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit Kohls.com. For more information about Kohl’s impact in the community or how to join our winning team, visit Corporate.Kohls.com.

Contacts

Investor Relations:

Trevor Novotny, (262) 703-1617, trevor.novotny@kohls.com

Media:

Jen Johnson, (262) 703-5241, jen.johnson@kohls.com


KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  

(Dollars in Millions, Except per Share Data)

   August 2, 2025     August 3, 2024     August 2, 2025     August 3, 2024  

Net sales

   $  3,347     $  3,525     $  6,396     $  6,703  

Other revenue

     199       207       383       411  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

     3,546       3,732       6,779       7,114  

Cost of merchandise sold

     2,011       2,128       3,845       4,051  

Gross margin rate

     39.9     39.6     39.9     39.6

Operating expenses:

        

Selling, general, and administrative

     1,199       1,250       2,363       2,478  

As a percent of total revenue

     33.8     33.5     34.9     34.8

Depreciation and amortization

     175       188       350       376  

Impairments, store closing, and other costs

     11       —        11       —   

(Gain) on legal settlement

     (129     —        (129     —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income

     279       166       339       209  

Interest expense, net

     78       86       154       169  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     201       80       185       40  

Provision for income taxes

     48       14       46       1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 153     $ 66     $ 139     $ 39  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Average number of shares:

        

Basic

     112       111       112       111  

Diluted

     114       112       113       112  

Earnings per share:

        

Basic

   $ 1.37     $ 0.59     $ 1.24     $ 0.35  

Diluted

   $ 1.35     $ 0.59     $ 1.23     $ 0.35  


RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

(Unaudited)

 

(Dollars in Millions, Except per Share Data)

   Operating Income     Net Income     Diluted Earnings
per Share
 

Three Months Ended August 2, 2025

      

GAAP

   $ 279     $ 153     $ 1.35  

Impairments, store closing, and other costs

     11       11       0.10  

(Gain) on legal settlement

     (129     (129     (1.14

Income tax impact of items noted above

     —        29       0.25  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted (non-GAAP)

   $ 161     $ 64     $ 0.56  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Three Months Ended August 3, 2024

      

GAAP

   $ 166     $ 66     $ 0.59  

Impairments, store closing, and other costs

     —        —        —   

(Gain) on legal settlement

     —        —        —   

Income tax impact of items noted above

     —        —        —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted (non-GAAP)

   $ 166     $ 66     $ 0.59  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Six Months Ended August 2, 2025

      

GAAP

   $ 339     $ 139     $ 1.23  

Impairments, store closing, and other costs

     11       11       0.10  

(Gain) on legal settlement

     (129     (129     (1.14

Income tax impact of items noted above

     —        29       0.25  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted (non-GAAP)

   $ 221     $ 50     $ 0.44  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Six Months Ended August 3, 2024

      

GAAP

   $ 209     $ 39     $ 0.35  

Impairments, store closing, and other costs

     —        —        —   

(Gain) on legal settlement

     —        —        —   

Income tax impact of items noted above

     —        —        —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted (non-GAAP)

   $ 209     $ 39     $ 0.35  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

 

(Dollars in Millions)

   August 2, 2025      August 3, 2024  

Assets

     

Current assets:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 174      $ 231  

Merchandise inventories

     2,994        3,151  

Other

     306        331  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

     3,474        3,713  

Property and equipment, net

     7,113        7,502  

Operating leases

     2,363        2,507  

Other assets

     441        458  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 13,391      $ 14,180  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

     

Current liabilities:

     

Accounts payable

   $ 1,134      $ 1,317  

Accrued liabilities

     1,159        1,185  

Borrowings under revolving credit facility

     75        410  

Current portion of:

     

Long-term debt

     —         353  

Finance leases and financing obligations

     84        81  

Operating leases

     96        92  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     2,548        3,438  

Long-term debt

     1,520        1,173  

Finance leases and financing obligations

     2,409        2,574  

Operating leases

     2,672        2,795  

Deferred income taxes

     54        95  

Other long-term liabilities

     261        275  

Shareholders’ equity:

     3,927        3,830  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

   $ 13,391      $ 14,180  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 


KOHL’S CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

     Six Months Ended  

(Dollars in Millions)

   August 2, 2025     August 3, 2024  

Operating activities

    

Net income

   $ 139     $ 39  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     350       376  

Share-based compensation

     17       16  

Deferred income taxes

     28       (15

Impairments, store closing, and other costs

     11       —   

Non-cash lease expense

     43       44  

Other non-cash items

     3       11  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Merchandise inventories

     (48     (269

Other current and long-term assets

     31       (59

Accounts payable

     93       183  

Accrued and other long-term liabilities

     (105     (25

Operating lease liabilities

     (56     (54
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

     506       247  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Investing activities

    

Acquisition of property and equipment

     (200     (239

Proceeds from sale of real estate

     21       —   

Other

     —        2  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (179     (237
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financing activities

    

Proceeds from issuance of debt, net of discount

     357       —   

Deferred financing costs

     (8     —   

Net (repayments) borrowings under revolving credit facility

     (215     318  

Shares withheld for taxes on vested restricted shares

     (4     (9

Dividends paid

     (28     (111

Repayment of long-term borrowings

     (353     (113

Premium paid on redemption of debt

     —        (5

Finance lease and financing obligation payments

     (46     (42

Proceeds from financing obligations

     10       —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

     (287     38  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     40       48  

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

     134       183  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

   $ 174     $ 231