Why Retail Stocks Like Sears, Macy's & Kohl's Are Surging

Shares of several major U.S. retail chains surged on Wednesday, including Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD) , Macy’s (NYSE:M) , Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) and Target (NYSE:TGT) .

Sears

Sears saw its stock price jump 5.4% before the opening bell on Wednesday after the struggling department store announced that it raised $100 million in new financing. On top of that, the company said that it is still looking for another $200 million in financing. Sears’ CFO Rob Riecker noted that the new loan "demonstrates that we continue to have options to finance our business."

However, the company is still struggling to fight its way back after comparable-store sales fell roughly 16% during the first two months of the fourth quarter. Shares of Sears currently hover up around 4.47% on the day.

Macy’s

Shares of fellow once-mighty retailer Macy’s popped more than 2.70% as investors continue to be impressed by the company’s solid holiday shopping season. Last week, Macy’s announced that comparable store sales gained 1% in November and December.

“Macy’s had a solid holiday shopping season, and we are pleased that our November/December performance resulted in positive comp sales for the period, setting us up for a positive fourth quarter… We intend to close the fourth quarter in a good position and head into 2018 with momentum,” Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette said in a statement.

Investors might also be pleased to note that the company remains committed to cutting costs. This includes the planned closure of 11 stores in early 2018, along with streamlining some “non-store functions.”

Kohl’s

Kohl’s stock climbed over 2% as investors seem pleased with the department store’s holiday sales growth. On Monday, the company reported that total and comparable November and December revenues jumped nearly 7% year-over-year.

The company noted that both online and in-store sales popped. “All lines of business and all regions reported positive comp sales. As expected, growth in digital demand accelerated significantly in the Holiday period from the year-to-date trend. In addition, we experienced positive sales in our stores driven by stronger traffic,” Kohl's CEO Kevin Mansell said in a statement.

Looking ahead, Kohl’s raised its fiscal 2017 earnings guidance. The company now expects to post full-year EPS in the range of $4.10 to $4.20, up from its previous guidance of $3.72 to $3.92.

Target

Shares of Target climbed over 3.20% as they inch near their 52-week high after the company reported that its holiday sales rose 3.4% from the year-ago period. This year-over-year jump was driven in large part by an increase in digital sales.

Target now expects to grow its digital sales by 25% in 2017. The retail giant also projects that Q4 comparable sales will jump around 3.4%, while full-year 2017 comps are expected to rise by over 1%. Along with a large increase in online sales, the company raised its overall fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 EPS guidance.

Looking ahead to 2018, Target projects to post a “low single-digit” jump in comparable store sales.

Other Retailers

Shares of department store chain Dillard’s (NYSE:DDS) jumped over 2.70%, while Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) stock popped nearly 2.40%. Dick's Sporting Goods (NYSE:DKS) stock also rose, climbing nearly 1.50%.

Retail sector EFTs also jumped, including shares of the SPDR S&P Retail (MX:XRT) ETF XRT and the Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3x Shares ETF RETL.

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