Overview
Williams Trading has reiterated a Buy rating on Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) and kept a $39.00 price target on the shares. With the stock trading at $26.38, the firm’s target equates to about 48% upside from current levels. InvestingPro analysis cited in the same note characterizes the stock as undervalued on a Fair Value basis, and the analyst consensus cited in public estimates remains net positive with price targets spanning $32 to $43.
Near-term results and timing
Genesco pre-announced its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 comparable-store results at Journeys, reporting a 12% increase in comparable-store sales on top of a 14% gain in the prior-year period. The company is scheduled to release its full fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 financial results on Friday, March 6, 2026 before the market opens. An InvestingPro note included with the market commentary adds that net income is forecast to grow this year, and that three analysts have recently revised earnings estimates upward, supporting the bullish case despite ongoing volatility.
Changes to analyst forecasts
Williams Trading has reduced its fiscal 2027 and fiscal 2028 revenue and earnings projections to reflect planned store closures and a licensing transition from Levi’s footwear to Wrangler footwear. The firm’s updated store-level assumptions call for Journeys to open 8 stores and close 46 stores in fiscal 2027, a change from a prior projection of 16 closures. For Schuh, the U.K.-based fashion retail business, Williams Trading now expects 13 store closures in fiscal 2027 versus a previous estimate of 9.
Operational focus: Journeys and Schuh
Journeys remains the largest contributor to Genesco’s top line, representing approximately 60% of total company revenue. Management’s emphasis on teen consumers - primarily female - and a targeted update of the store portfolio have been central to the store-level strategy. Genesco operates roughly 960 Journeys locations, of which about 80 have been converted to Journeys 4.0 formats. Those 4.0 stores are delivering same-store sales gains in excess of 25%, and the company plans to roughly double the number of 4.0 stores during fiscal 2027.
Schuh, which contributes about 20% of revenue and is based in the U.K., is in the middle of a reset under a newly created Journeys Global Retail Group. That group is led by Andy Gray and Chris Santaella, who have implemented changes at Journeys and are overseeing Schuh’s transition.
Corporate and capital structure moves
Genesco announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Cassandra Sandra Harris, will step down in March 2026. Chief Executive Officer Mimi E. Vaughn will serve as interim CFO while the company conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Separately, Genesco amended its credit agreement with Bank of America to extend the maturity to January 2031. According to the company’s statement, the extension does not alter the borrowing base calculations or the collateral terms of the facility.
In addition to these leadership and financing developments, Genesco is retooling its information technology operations with the stated objective of improving speed, scalability and innovation.
Analyst landscape
Alongside Williams Trading’s coverage, Jefferies recently raised its price target on Genesco to $32 while maintaining a Hold rating, citing strong holiday sales performance both in stores and online. The Williams Trading note also appears elsewhere in the market record as an initiation of coverage by the same firm with a Buy rating and a $39 price objective; the research emphasizes that roughly 80% of Genesco’s revenue is driven by teen-focused businesses such as Journeys and Schuh.
Implications for investors
The coverage and estimates changes from Williams Trading underscore a tension in Genesco’s outlook: operational improvements at Journeys and the rollout of Journeys 4.0 are supporting same-store sales growth, while the company is also executing a meaningful store rationalization and navigating a footwear license shift. Investors will get more clarity when the company reports full fiscal fourth-quarter results on March 6, 2026.