Should I Buy M? M 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Macy's Inc (M) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

20.020

1 Day change

52 Week Range

24.410

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/26

Macy's Inc is not a strong buy for a beginner investor with a long-term strategy at this time. Despite some positive catalysts such as improved Q3 results and raised guidance, the stock's technical indicators, options sentiment, and financial performance suggest caution. The investor's impatience and unwillingness to wait for optimal entry points make this stock less suitable for immediate investment.

Technical Analysis

The MACD is negatively expanding (-0.279), indicating bearish momentum. RSI is at 23.541, suggesting the stock is oversold but not signaling a clear reversal. Moving averages are converging, showing no strong trend direction. The stock is trading near its support level (S1: 20.439), with resistance levels far above (R1: 23.365).

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

The high Open Interest Put-Call Ratio indicates bearish sentiment, while the lower Option Volume Put-Call Ratio suggests some short-term bullish activity. Implied volatility is high (62.22), indicating significant uncertainty.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Analysts like Jefferies and Goldman Sachs have raised price targets, citing momentum and sequential improvement in the business. The stock has a 1.62% chance of increasing in the next month.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Net income dropped significantly (-60.71% YoY), and EPS fell (-60.00% YoY), indicating profitability challenges. UBS maintains a Sell rating, citing competitive disadvantages and market share loss. Technical indicators show bearish momentum, and options data reflects uncertainty. The retail sector remains under macroeconomic pressure, with limited visibility for sales and profitability.

Financial Performance

In Q3 2026, Macy's reported revenue of $4.91 billion (+0.20% YoY), but net income dropped to $11 million (-60.71% YoY), and EPS fell to 0.04 (-60.00% YoY). Gross margin improved slightly to 41.89% (+0.72% YoY), but the company faces challenges in delivering profitable growth.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Analyst sentiment is mixed. Jefferies and Goldman Sachs raised price targets and maintain Buy/Neutral ratings, citing momentum and improved performance. However, UBS maintains a Sell rating due to competitive disadvantages and earnings pressure. The average price target ranges from $8 (UBS) to $27 (Jefferies), with most analysts expressing cautious optimism but acknowledging macroeconomic and competitive headwinds.

12 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast M stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for M is 21.33 USD with a low forecast of 8 USD and a high forecast of 27 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

2 Buy

9 Hold

1 Sell

Hold

Current: 20.020

Low

Averages

21.33

High

Current: 20.020

Low

Averages

21.33

High

Jefferies

Buy

maintain

$26 -> $27

AI Analysis

2025-12-12

Reason

Jefferies

Price Target

$26 -> $27

AI Analysis

2025-12-12

maintain

Buy

Reason

Jefferies raised the firm's price target on Macy's to $27 from $26 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm, which adjusted targets among its fashion brands coverage, would prioritize momentum-led upside to estimates versus turnarounds at this point. The firm, which believes across the fashion space that the market is expecting a more resilient consumer and constructive tariff backdrop at least for the near-term, has a 2026 base case that assumes stable consumer spend, although still pressured at the low-end, the analyst tells investors.

Guggenheim

Simeon Siegel

Neutral

initiated

2025-12-09

Reason

Guggenheim

Simeon Siegel

Price Target

2025-12-09

initiated

Neutral

Reason

Guggenheim analyst Simeon Siegel initiated coverage of Macy's with a Neutral rating and no price target. The retail sector still seems to be perceived as "structurally sick," but the firm says "holiday brought the cheer," tariffs have been manageable so far and "most importantly and likely going unnoticed" is the fact that the majority of the firm's coverage actually operates at, or close to, their gross margin peaks.

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M Should I Buy

M Should I Buy

Should You Buy Macy's Inc (M) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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