Macy’s (NYSE:M) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Macy’s (NYSE:M) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Macy’s from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Macy’s from $16.50 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Macy’s from $14.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “cautious” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Guggenheim started coverage on Macy’s in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group set a $21.00 target price on Macy’s in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Macy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.50.

Macy’s Price Performance

M opened at $22.08 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $21.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.87 billion, a PE ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.43. Macy’s has a 52 week low of $9.76 and a 52 week high of $24.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Macy’s (NYSE:M) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.22. Macy’s had a return on equity of 15.57% and a net margin of 2.10%.The company had revenue of $4.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.04 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Macy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.000-2.20 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Macy’s will post 2.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Macy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.1824 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.73 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Macy’s’s payout ratio is presently 43.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Macy’s

In related news, EVP Danielle L. Kirgan sold 85,000 shares of Macy’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total transaction of $2,033,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 51,161 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,223,771.12. The trade was a 62.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Macy’s

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Macy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Macy’s by 523.0% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,171 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 2,662 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Macy’s by 41.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Macy’s by 101.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,162 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Macy’s by 28.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,087 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Macy’s Company Profile

Macy’s, Inc is a leading American omnichannel retailer operating under the Macy’s brand, as well as specialty divisions Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury. The company’s retail portfolio encompasses full-line department stores, fashion-focused specialty outlets and a high-end beauty chain, offering consumers a wide array of apparel, footwear, accessories, cosmetics and home furnishings. Through its integrated network of physical stores and digital platforms, Macy’s seeks to deliver a seamless shopping experience that blends in-store service with online convenience.

The company’s product assortment spans men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, beauty and personal care products, housewares and home décor.