An activist investor is pushing department store chain Kohl’s to either sell the entire company or spin off its e-commerce division. In a letter posted online on Monday, Engine Capital said that it wants the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based retailer to consider these alternatives to boost the stock price. Engine Capital said that if the company chose spinning off its e-commerce division, a move similar to what Saks did earlier this year, the stand-alone business could be valued at $12.4 billion or more. That amount dwarfs the company’s current market capitalization. Kohl says the board and management team “continuously examine all opportunities for maximizing shareholder value."
Ahead of the release of October's consumer inflation data Tuesday, you may notice changes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When it comes to how it estimates health insurance costs, the move is expected to give a boost to the U.S. inflation measure which will reverse a trend that has provided some relief.
A handful of retailers will report earnings this week, including Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Macy's, as gas prices peaked in September to the end of this latest quarter while borrowing costs remain at their highest levels in decades.
