Macy's (NYSE:M) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Macy's stock has been upgraded by Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating, indicating improved investor sentiment.
• The company reported earnings of $0.41 per share for the last quarter, significantly surpassing analysts’ expectations of $0.19.
• Multiple analysts have increased their price targets for Macy's shares, with Goldman Sachs setting a new target of $14.50 and Jefferies raising it to $18.50.

Macy's (NYSE:M - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Macy's' Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.16) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.56 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.97 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.42 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.15) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.57 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.01 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.44 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.07 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on M. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Macy's from $6.00 to $6.50 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Macy's from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Macy's from $12.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Macy's from $13.00 to $14.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Macy's from $12.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $15.25.

Macy's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE M traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $16.92. 10,731,115 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,761,618. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Macy's has a 1 year low of $9.76 and a 1 year high of $18.13. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.68. The stock has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.67 and a beta of 1.78.

Macy's (NYSE:M - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.22. Macy's had a return on equity of 15.39% and a net margin of 2.18%.The firm had revenue of $4.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Macy's has set its Q3 2025 guidance at -0.200--0.150 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-2.050 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Macy's will post 2.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Macy's

In other Macy's news, EVP Danielle L. Kirgan sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.30, for a total value of $1,730,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 286,161 shares in the company, valued at $4,950,585.30. The trade was a 25.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Griscom sold 12,843 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.26, for a total transaction of $221,670.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 23,379 shares in the company, valued at $403,521.54. This represents a 35.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 212,843 shares of company stock worth $3,726,670 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Macy's

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in Macy's by 24.8% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 22,147 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 4,406 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Macy's during the second quarter worth approximately $2,276,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in Macy's by 1.2% during the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 241,971 shares of the company's stock worth $2,819,000 after buying an additional 2,909 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Macy's by 61.8% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 178,152 shares of the company's stock worth $2,077,000 after buying an additional 68,058 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Macy's by 4.4% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 60,746 shares of the company's stock worth $708,000 after buying an additional 2,544 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

About Macy's

Macy's, Inc engages in the retail of apparel, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, and other consumer goods. The firm's brands include Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury. It offers men's, women's, and children's apparel, women's accessories, intimate apparel, shoes, cosmetics, fragrances, as well as home and miscellaneous products.