JWN, KSS and M

When do you see these department store stocks going back up and if you had to pick one which one would you buy? While they historically move similarity, there are some noticeable differences between these three stocks in recent years. KSS almost experienced a takeover/buyout in 2021 but that didn’t happen and the stock has suffered a downturn since. M seems to be doing better since 2019 than the others. JWN is the wildcard which has Ryan Cohen on the team and also there’s the possibility that the family will one day take the company private. Short term I see a lot of uncertainty for all three stocks. If retail as a whole starts to jump, all three could blow up. That would require changes in the world though- peace in Ukraine and improved rates and inflation. All the stuff that makes people worry and not want to spend money need to go away. If retail as a whole continues to suffer, I wonder if any of these is at risk of bankruptcy. They all made it through Covid and made significant improvements to their business model so I don’t think so. But who knows.

Let me hear your thoughts!