The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) and the rest of the general merchandise retail stocks fared in Q4.

General merchandise retailers–also called broadline retailers–know you’re busy and don’t want to drive around wasting time and gas, so they offer a one-stop shop. Convenience is the name of the game, so these stores may sell clothing in one section, toys in another, and home decor in a third. This concept has evolved over time from department stores to more niche concepts targeting bargain hunters or young adults, and e-commerce has forced these retailers to be extra sharp in their value propositions to consumers, whether that’s unique product or competitive prices.

The 8 general merchandise retail stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.6% below.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 2.7% on average since the latest earnings results.

Kohl's (NYSE: KSS)

Founded as a corner grocery store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a department store chain that sells clothing, cosmetics, electronics, and home goods.

Kohl's reported revenues of $5.17 billion, down 4.2% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ gross margin and EPS estimates.

Michael J. Bender, Kohl’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are ending 2025 in a stronger position than we started, with important work still ahead of us. Over the past year, our efforts have been focused on resetting our foundation. This focus is intended to stabilize the business and strengthen our operational ability to build for a stronger future. In 2025, we made meaningful progress, despite our Q4 topline coming in softer than our expectations. We were able to manage the business with discipline, deliver improved earnings, and generate meaningful cash flow, all of which helped us strengthen our balance sheet.”

Kohl's delivered the slowest revenue growth of the whole group. The market was likely pricing in the results, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $14.85.

Is now the time to buy Kohl's? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Five Below (NASDAQ: FIVE)

Often facilitating a treasure hunt shopping experience, Five Below (NASDAQ: FIVE) is an American discount retailer that sells a variety of products from mobile phone cases to candy to sports equipment for largely $5 or less.

Five Below reported revenues of $1.73 billion, up 24.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. The business had a very strong quarter with EPS and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Five Below scored the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 9.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $232.67.

Is now the time to buy Five Below? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Ollie's (NASDAQ: OLLI)

Often located in suburban or semi-rural shopping centers, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (NASDAQ: OLLI) is a discount retailer that acquires excess inventory then sells at meaningful discounts.

Ollie's reported revenues of $779.3 million, up 16.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. It was a mixed quarter as it posted a narrow beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates but full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

As expected, the stock is down 13.3% since the results and currently trades at $89.60.

Read our full analysis of Ollie’s results here.

Macy's (NYSE: M)

With a storied history that began with its 1858 founding, Macy’s (NYSE: M) is a department store chain that sells clothing, cosmetics, accessories, and home goods.

Macy's reported revenues of $7.92 billion, down 1.1% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates but full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

The stock is up 15.1% since reporting and currently trades at $19.48.

Read our full, actionable report on Macy's here, it’s free.

Dillard's (NYSE: DDS)

With stores located largely in the Southern and Western US, Dillard’s (NYSE: DDS) is a department store chain that sells clothing, cosmetics, accessories, and home goods.

Dillard's reported revenues of $1.99 billion, down 3% year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 1.5%. Aside from that, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

Dillard's had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is down 9.8% since reporting and currently trades at $582.78.

Read our full, actionable report on Dillard's here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.