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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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Alaska Airlines dips following weaker-than-expected 2026 earnings guidance

Alaska Airlines, America’s fifth-largest airline, reported its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2025 after the market closed Thursday. Its shares fell 2% in after hours trading.

The airline reported adjusted fourth-quarter earnings of $0.43 per share, beating the $0.11 expected by Wall Street analysts polled by FactSet. Its Q4 passenger revenue climbed 2% to $3.25 billion.

For the current quarter, Alaska guided for a 1% to 2% increase in capacity and an adjusted loss of $1.50 to $0.50 per share, compared to the $0.77 loss per share expected by analysts. The airline forecast full-year earnings of between $3.50 and $6.50 per share for 2026. The $5 per share midpoint falls short of analyst estimates of $5.52.

“To hit the higher end of our guidance range we would require sustained macroeconomic recovery in 2026, at or improving on trends seen in the first three weeks of the year, and for fuel prices to stabilize,” the company said in its report.

Earlier this month, the carrier placed its largest ever plane order, securing 110 Boeing jets to support its international growth ambitions. It plans to add flights to Rome, London, and Iceland this summer, and has said it will boost its premium seat offerings this year — in-line with a wider trend of travel trends reflecting a “K-shaped economy.”

Intel Logo In front of Building

Intel slumps after Q1 guidance disappoints

The bad outlook offset strong Q4 results.

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Plug Power jumps amid surge in call activity as CEO Andy Marsh hosts AMA

Plug Power surged on Thursday, jumping nearly 17% amid elevated call activity as outgoing CEO Andy Marsh hosted an “ask me anything” on the r/PlugPowerStock subreddit.

As many as 192,581 call options changed hands, more than 4x the 20-day average — call options with a strike price of $4 that expire in mid-June were the most active contract.

Marsh’s appearance was aimed at building support for the board’s recommendations that its investors vote in favor of three proposals at a special meeting of shareholders slated for next week. These proposals include: allowing votes to be decided by a majority of voters rather than a majority of shareholders, enabling an increase in the company’s share count, and a third measure to delay this special meeting in the event that there aren’t enough votes for either of those two proposals to pass.

During the session, Marsh made the following points:

  • Management really doesn’t want to have to do a reverse stock split, but would feel forced to do so if the second proposal fails to pass. Per a recent filing from Plug, “Without additional authorized shares, the Company will not be able to: meet its contractual obligations to increase authorized shares of common stock by February 28, 2026; raise capital necessary for operations and growth; and execute on its business plans and strategy.”

  • Plug plans to lean even more into opportunities to offer power to AI data center customers, with Marsh writing that incoming CEO Jose Luis Crespo will offer more details on this in a follow-up AMA scheduled for March.

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Meta shares rally as Jefferies says it’s a bargain relative to Mag 7 peers

Shares of Meta rallied over 5% on Thursday, as Jefferies analyst Brent Thill doubled down on his buy rating for the company, calling the stock a relative bargain compared to its Magnificent 7 peers. The analyst set a price target of $910, well above the $645 where the stock is trading today.

News out of the World Economic Forum this week that Meta’s first models from its revamped AI teams are very goodaligns with Thill’s argument that the company is well positioned to get back in the AI race with the “all-star model,” which is expected to be released in the first half of the year.

Recent cuts to Meta’s Reality Labs also signal that the company is focusing its spending where it matters. The Jefferies note added that the recent monetization of Threads via ads will help boost revenue.

Next week, Meta reports its fourth-quarter earnings, and Thill expects that even if the company raises its 2026 capital expenditure outlook, investors won’t be spooked, as the company has been clear that spending may continue to be high.

Recent cuts to Meta’s Reality Labs also signal that the company is focusing its spending where it matters. The Jefferies note added that the recent monetization of Threads via ads will help boost revenue.

Next week, Meta reports its fourth-quarter earnings, and Thill expects that even if the company raises its 2026 capital expenditure outlook, investors won’t be spooked, as the company has been clear that spending may continue to be high.

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