Kohl's Corporation (KSS) saw its stock price surge 23.86% during intraday trading on Thursday. The significant upward movement followed the release of the company's first-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results.

The department store retailer reported a quarterly adjusted loss per share of $0.13, which was notably better than the analyst consensus estimate for a loss of $0.19. Net sales for the quarter came in at approximately $3.0 billion, slightly surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. Furthermore, comparable sales declined by 1.1%, an improvement over the expected 1.7% drop and marking the segment's best performance in over four years.

Investor sentiment was also bolstered as the company reaffirmed its full-year financial outlook. Kohl's provided guidance for fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings per share in the range of $1.00 to $1.60, which brackets the current market consensus. The results are seen as early signs that the turnaround strategy under CEO Michael Bender, which includes disciplined cost management, inventory reduction, and reviving key product categories, is beginning to yield positive results.