KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• KinderCare Learning Companies updated its FY 2026 guidance, projecting EPS of $0.15 to $0.25 and revenue of $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion. The EPS outlook matches the consensus estimate, while revenue is slightly above expectations.
• The company’s recent quarterly results beat estimates, with EPS of $0.04 versus the expected loss of $0.01 and revenue of $672.52 million versus $669.13 million expected. It also reported a negative net margin but a positive return on equity.
• Wall Street sentiment remains cautious, with multiple analysts cutting ratings and price targets; the stock’s average rating is “Reduce” and the consensus price target is $4.63. Meanwhile, insiders have been buying shares, including CEO John T. Wyatt and Director Michael Nuzzo.

KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.150-0.250 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.150. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.7 billion-$2.8 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.7 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KLC shares. Robert W. Baird downgraded KinderCare Learning Companies from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of KinderCare Learning Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $6.00 to $2.50 in a report on Friday, March 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d)" rating on shares of KinderCare Learning Companies in a research note on Friday, March 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of KinderCare Learning Companies from $4.50 to $3.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on KinderCare Learning Companies from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $4.63.

KinderCare Learning Companies Price Performance

Shares of KinderCare Learning Companies stock traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $4.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,867,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,173,372. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $3.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $3.99. The stock has a market cap of $521.57 million, a P/E ratio of -4.64 and a beta of 4.61. KinderCare Learning Companies has a one year low of $1.75 and a one year high of $12.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $672.52 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $669.13 million. KinderCare Learning Companies had a negative net margin of 4.13% and a positive return on equity of 9.85%. KinderCare Learning Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.150-0.250 EPS. On average, analysts predict that KinderCare Learning Companies will post 0.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John T. Wyatt purchased 275,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $2.07 per share, for a total transaction of $569,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,037,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,148,316.38. The trade was a 36.05% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael Nuzzo bought 25,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2.22 per share, with a total value of $55,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 46,905 shares in the company, valued at $104,129.10. This represents a 114.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 519,118 shares of company stock worth $1,054,221 over the last three months. 5.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On KinderCare Learning Companies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KLC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in KinderCare Learning Companies by 6.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,811 shares of the company's stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,025 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of KinderCare Learning Companies by 20.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 30,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 5,192 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of KinderCare Learning Companies by 32.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 44,209 shares of the company's stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 10,735 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of KinderCare Learning Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $270,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in KinderCare Learning Companies by 48.0% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 33,698 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 10,932 shares during the last quarter.

KinderCare Learning Companies Company Profile

KinderCare Learning Companies Inc is a provider of high-quality early childhood education by center capacity. KinderCare Learning Companies Inc is based in PORTLAND, Ore.

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