KinderCare Learning Companies (KLC) Stock Overview
Provides early childhood education and care services in the United States. More details
| Snowflake Score | |
|---|---|
| Valuation | 5/6 |
| Future Growth | 0/6 |
| Past Performance | 0/6 |
| Financial Health | 1/6 |
| Dividends | 0/6 |
KLC Community Fair Values
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Analyst Price Targets
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. Competitors
Price History & Performance
| Historical stock prices | |
|---|---|
| Current Share Price | US$2.60 |
| 52 Week High | US$7.77 |
| 52 Week Low | US$1.75 |
| Beta | 0 |
| 1 Month Change | -50.19% |
| 3 Month Change | -33.16% |
| 1 Year Change | -65.33% |
| 3 Year Change | n/a |
| 5 Year Change | n/a |
| Change since IPO | -90.05% |
Recent News & Updates
Seeking Alpha • Aug 14
KinderCare Learning Companies: I'm Backing The Truck Up On This Stock
Summary Shares of KinderCare Learning Companies plunged after Q2 2026 results missed expectations and management sharply lowered full-year guidance. KLC faces enrollment declines and underperforming state subsidies and is closing underperforming centers, but management is executing operational fixes and cost reductions. Despite near-term headwinds and negative free cash flow expected in H2, KLC trades at distressed-like multiples with manageable leverage and long-dated debt maturities. I reaffirm my 'strong buy' rating, viewing current valuation as highly compelling with potential for 100%+ upside if operations stabilize. Read the full article on Seeking Alpha
Narrative Update • Jul 24
KLC: Future Earnings Quality Will Be Questioned After Large Goodwill Impairment
Analysts have trimmed their price target on KinderCare Learning Companies to around $4.24 per share from about $5.96, citing updated assumptions around revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E multiples. What’s in the News for KinderCare Learning Companies KinderCare Learning Companies opened its first early childhood education center in Arkansas, rebranding the former The Children's Hour site in Bentonville as Bentonville KinderCare and bringing capacity for up to 80 children with 14 teachers and staff.
Narrative Update • Jul 10
KLC: Goodwill Impairment And Margin Assumptions Will Pressure Future Upside
Analysts have adjusted their price target on KinderCare Learning Companies to reflect a fair value view of $2.50, down from $4.50, citing updated expectations for revenue growth, profit margins, the discount rate, and a higher assumed future P/E multiple. What’s in the News for KinderCare Learning Companies KinderCare Learning Companies opened its first early childhood education center in Arkansas, rebranding the former The Children's Hour site as Bentonville KinderCare and expanding its presence to 42 states, with capacity for up to 80 children and 14 teachers and staff.Recent updates
Seeking Alpha • Aug 14
KinderCare Learning Companies: I'm Backing The Truck Up On This Stock
Summary Shares of KinderCare Learning Companies plunged after Q2 2026 results missed expectations and management sharply lowered full-year guidance. KLC faces enrollment declines and underperforming state subsidies and is closing underperforming centers, but management is executing operational fixes and cost reductions. Despite near-term headwinds and negative free cash flow expected in H2, KLC trades at distressed-like multiples with manageable leverage and long-dated debt maturities. I reaffirm my 'strong buy' rating, viewing current valuation as highly compelling with potential for 100%+ upside if operations stabilize. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaNarrative Update • Jul 24
KLC: Future Earnings Quality Will Be Questioned After Large Goodwill Impairment
Analysts have trimmed their price target on KinderCare Learning Companies to around $4.24 per share from about $5.96, citing updated assumptions around revenue growth, profit margins and future P/E multiples. What’s in the News for KinderCare Learning Companies KinderCare Learning Companies opened its first early childhood education center in Arkansas, rebranding the former The Children's Hour site in Bentonville as Bentonville KinderCare and bringing capacity for up to 80 children with 14 teachers and staff.Narrative Update • Jul 10
KLC: Goodwill Impairment And Margin Assumptions Will Pressure Future Upside
Analysts have adjusted their price target on KinderCare Learning Companies to reflect a fair value view of $2.50, down from $4.50, citing updated expectations for revenue growth, profit margins, the discount rate, and a higher assumed future P/E multiple. What’s in the News for KinderCare Learning Companies KinderCare Learning Companies opened its first early childhood education center in Arkansas, rebranding the former The Children's Hour site as Bentonville KinderCare and expanding its presence to 42 states, with capacity for up to 80 children and 14 teachers and staff.
Narrative Update • Jun 26
KLC: Future Earnings Power Will Rely On Margin Recovery
Analysts have trimmed their price target for KinderCare Learning Companies to $6.00 per share, reflecting updated assumptions for fair value at $6.00, slightly adjusted discount rates, more moderate revenue growth and profit margin expectations, and a higher future P/E multiple. What’s in the News for KinderCare Learning Companies KinderCare Learning Companies reported goodwill impairment losses of $273.5 million for the first quarter ended April 4, 2026.Analysis Article • Feb 02
Does KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?
Some say volatility, rather than debt, is the best way to think about risk as an investor, but Warren Buffett famously...Analysis Article • Dec 23
KinderCare Learning Companies' (NYSE:KLC) Returns On Capital Are Heading Higher
Finding a business that has the potential to grow substantially is not easy, but it is possible if we look at a few key...Analysis Article • Nov 14
Revenues Working Against KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc.'s (NYSE:KLC) Share Price Following 31% Dive
To the annoyance of some shareholders, KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. ( NYSE:KLC ) shares are down a considerable...Analysis Article • Oct 11
KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC) Use Of Debt Could Be Considered Risky
Howard Marks put it nicely when he said that, rather than worrying about share price volatility, 'The possibility of...Analysis Article • Aug 20
Lacklustre Performance Is Driving KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc.'s (NYSE:KLC) 26% Price Drop
NYSE:KLC 1 Year Share Price vs Fair Value Explore KinderCare Learning Companies's Fair Values from the Community and...Analysis Article • Jul 08
Is KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC) A Risky Investment?
The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says...Analysis Article • May 16
Results: KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. Beat Earnings Expectations And Analysts Now Have New Forecasts
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. ( NYSE:KLC ) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its...Analysis Article • May 14
Estimating The Fair Value Of KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. (NYSE:KLC)
Key Insights The projected fair value for KinderCare Learning Companies is US$13.27 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to...Analysis Article • Apr 09
Does KinderCare Learning Companies (NYSE:KLC) Have A Healthy Balance Sheet?
Legendary fund manager Li Lu (who Charlie Munger backed) once said, 'The biggest investment risk is not the volatility...Analysis Article • Apr 09
Revenues Working Against KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc.'s (NYSE:KLC) Share Price Following 38% Dive
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. ( NYSE:KLC ) shareholders that were waiting for something to happen have been dealt...Seeking Alpha • Mar 28
Why Is KinderCare Learning Companies Performing So Poorly?
Summary KinderCare Learning Companies has seen its stock plummet nearly 50% below its IPO price due to mispricing and disappointing earnings reports. Major concerns include high reliance on federal subsidies, high debt levels, and tepid growth prospects, making KLC a risky investment. Despite a large market opportunity, the Company's 2025 outlook is tepid, with flat occupancy growth and lowered pricing power, deterring immediate investment. I recommend staying on the sidelines until there's improvement in technical price action and a successful earnings report that boosts market confidence. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaSeeking Alpha • Oct 24
KinderCare Learning Companies: Aided By Pandemic Subsidies
Summary KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. went public recently, but high earnings multiples and reliance on pandemic-related subsidies make me cautious. Despite solid growth and a large market, KinderCare's operating income is modest due to labor costs and even inflated by COVID-19 subsidies. The company's valuation is demanding, with significant leverage and earnings likely to decline in 2024 amid margin pressures. Given these factors, I prefer to observe KinderCare's performance further before considering any investment. Read the full article on Seeking AlphaShareholder Returns
| KLC | US Consumer Services | US Market | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7D | -49.7% | -3.5% | 0.6% |
| 1Y | -65.3% | -16.4% | 19.9% |
Return vs Industry: KLC underperformed the US Consumer Services industry which returned -16.4% over the past year.
Return vs Market: KLC underperformed the US Market which returned 19.9% over the past year.
Price Volatility
| KLC volatility | |
|---|---|
| KLC Average Weekly Movement | 15.3% |
| Consumer Services Industry Average Movement | 8.6% |
| Market Average Movement | 7.2% |
| 10% most volatile stocks in US Market | 16.3% |
| 10% least volatile stocks in US Market | 3.1% |
Stable Share Price: KLC's share price has been volatile over the past 3 months compared to the US market.
Volatility Over Time: KLC's weekly volatility (15%) has been stable over the past year, but is still higher than 75% of US stocks.
About the Company
| Founded | Employees | CEO | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 39,700 | Tom Wyatt | www.investors.kindercare.com |
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. provides early childhood education and care services in the United States. The company offers community-based early childhood education services for infants, toddlers, preschool, and kindergarten students; and customized family care benefits for organizations, including care for young children on or near the site where their parents work, tuition benefits, and backup care under the KinderCare Learning Centers (KCLC) and Crème School brands. It also provides before-and after-school programs, including summer camp programs for preschool and school-age children under the Champions brand.
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. Fundamentals Summary
| KLC fundamental statistics | |
|---|---|
| Market cap | US$308.14m |
| Earnings (TTM) | -US$471.23m |
| Revenue (TTM) | US$2.74b |
0.1x
P/S Ratio-0.7x
P/E RatioIs KLC overvalued?
See Fair Value and valuation analysisEarnings & Revenue
| KLC income statement (TTM) | |
|---|---|
| Revenue | US$2.74b |
| Cost of Revenue | US$2.19b |
| Gross Profit | US$546.10m |
| Other Expenses | US$1.02b |
| Earnings | -US$471.23m |
Last Reported Earnings
Jul 04, 2026
Next Earnings Date
n/a
| Earnings per share (EPS) | -3.98 |
| Gross Margin | 19.97% |
| Net Profit Margin | -17.23% |
| Debt/Equity Ratio | 198.6% |
How did KLC perform over the long term?
See historical performance and comparisonCompany Analysis and Financial Data Status
| Data | Last Updated (UTC time) |
|---|---|
| Company Analysis | 2026/08/16 01:50 |
| End of Day Share Price | 2026/08/14 00:00 |
| Earnings | 2026/07/04 |
| Annual Earnings | 2026/01/03 |
Data Sources
The data used in our company analysis is from S&P Global Market Intelligence LLC. The following data is used in our analysis model to generate this report. Data is normalised which can introduce a delay from the source being available.
| Package | Data | Timeframe | Example US Source * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Financials | 10 years |
| |
| Analyst Consensus Estimates | +3 years |
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| Market Prices | 30 years |
| |
| Ownership | 10 years |
| |
| Management | 10 years |
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| Key Developments | 10 years |
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* Example for US securities, for non-US equivalent regulatory forms and sources are used.
Unless specified all financial data is based on a yearly period but updated quarterly. This is known as Trailing Twelve Month (TTM) or Last Twelve Month (LTM) Data. Learn more.
Analysis Model and Snowflake
Details of the analysis model used to generate this report is available on our Github page, we also have guides on how to use our reports and tutorials on Youtube.
Learn about the world class team who designed and built the Simply Wall St analysis model.
Industry and Sector Metrics
Our industry and section metrics are calculated every 6 hours by Simply Wall St, details of our process are available on Github.
Analyst Sources
KinderCare Learning Companies, Inc. is covered by 8 analysts. 7 of those analysts submitted the estimates of revenue or earnings used as inputs to our report. Analysts submissions are updated throughout the day.
| Analyst | Institution |
|---|---|
| Jeffrey Meuler | Baird |
| Manav Patnaik | Barclays |
| Jeffrey Silber | BMO Capital Markets Equity Research |