KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC)
Consumer Discretionary · Early Childhood Education and Child Care Services · NYSE
The nation's largest private early-childhood education and care provider, operating 1,555+ community centers plus employer-sponsored and before-/after-school programs serving 200,000+ children, facing acute demand pressures and profitability headwinds.
What KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC does
KinderCare Learning Companies is the leading private provider of early education and child care services in the United States, operating a national network of community-based centers, employer-sponsored programs, and before- and after-school sites serving children from six weeks to 12 years of age. The company operates three consumer-facing brands: KinderCare Learning Centers (community-based ECE, 88% of revenue), Crème School (premium ECE, 4% of revenue), and Champions (before- and after-school programs, 8% of revenue). KinderCare also provides customized family care benefits and tuition assistance programs to employers with over 1,000 corporate relationships.
Themes: Early childhood education (ECE), Child care services, Before- and after-school care, Employer-sponsored child care, Educational outcomes and school readiness, Workforce engagement and retention, Family benefits programs
Fundamentals
- Price$2.75 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$326M as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return-59.5% 2025-08-21 close $6.79 → 2026-08-21 close $2.75
- P/En/a negative earnings
- Net margin-15.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+21.0% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE-55.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity1.97 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)-17.8% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+6.0% SEC XBRL
- Beta2.03 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-13 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
How KLC compares in its sector
- net profit marginbottom 10% 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginbottom 10% 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginbottom 25% 331 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitybottom 10% 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 325 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2026
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
How KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC looks technically
KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) is trading 33.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 21 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 40, with sellers in control. Momentum is beaten down — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 26, in oversold territory (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 5 trading days ago. It is 72.3% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 33.7% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -33.7% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $4.56 | $4.56 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $4.15 | $4.15 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 23 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 23 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed five-part upward sequence — the pattern Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — which on that reading would now be due a pullback rather than more of the same; the labelling fails if price closes above 5.62. It is the only labelling that fits, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible five-wave upward sequence, complete |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 21 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 21 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 40, with sellers in control | 40.1 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is beaten down — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 26, in oversold territory (below 30) | 26.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($2.47 to $5.57) — its "stochastic" reading is 9 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 9.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in negative territory (momentum leaning bearish) | 24 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $9.92 | $9.92 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 72.3% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -72.3% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 57.1% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +57.1% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 72.3% below its highest point of the past year | 72.3% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $29.89 (set on 2024-10-31) | $29.89 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($1.84 to $9.81), and it has recovered only a small part of its fall from last year’s high — 11% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $6.77 to $7.02. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 11.4% |
| From the all-time high | it is 90.8% below its all-time high | -90.8% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 30.4% below a resistance level at $3.58 — a price it turned at twice since 2025-11-18, most recently on 2026-05-12. Since 2024-10-09 it has 0 such levels below the current price and 10 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +30.4% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $1.75 (set on 2026-03-16) | $1.75 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 57.1% above its all-time low | +57.1% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually wide versus its own recent history (wider than about 95% of the past ~6 months) | 95th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.3583 between its high and its low — about 13.0% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.3583 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $2.15 and $6.71 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $2.15 – $4.43 – $6.71 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 13.0% in a typical session — among the most volatile in the catalog. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 13.0% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 3.9 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (33.7% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 3.9 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 1.12× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have cut their average price target by 2.7% since the prior reading | -2.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 6 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 6 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 3 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 3 sessions ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.4% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | -0.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 26.5% below the previous close 5 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 4.83 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | -26.5% |
| Gap filled | a 3.9% gap up opened on 2026-08-13 has been "filled" 5 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 5 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed lower 2 sessions in a row, a -5.5% move over the run — an unbroken run of down days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 48.0 percentage points (the stock lost 45.7% while the market gained 2.3%) | -48.0% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 29.0 percentage points (the stock lost 25.9% while the market gained 3.1%) | -29.0% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 45.3 percentage points (the stock lost 34.2% while the market gained 11.1%) | -45.3% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 80.0 percentage points (the stock lost 59.5% while the market gained 20.5%) | -80.0% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, its RSI momentum gauge is oversold (a beaten-down reading), near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, trading below its 200-day average, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 35% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is thick, spanning 20.8% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that has held for a while and takes effort to cross. | -35.4% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
1
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 21% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $3.47 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 150 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -20.6% |
|---|
Price levels it has turned at before
KLC last closed at $2.75 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-10-09 it has turned at 0 prices below its last close and 10 above; the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3.58 | Resistance | 30.4% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-11-18 to 2026-05-12 |
| $4.14 | Resistance | 50.6% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-01-02 to 2026-01-27 |
| $4.45 | Resistance | 61.7% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-05-04 to 2026-06-12 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $5.62.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Recent golden cross (50-day crossed above 200-day) · Oversold (14-day RSI below 30) · Pulled back from the 12-month high · Analyst price target recently CUT · lagging the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (3.25 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 7 analysts
- Mean price target$4.13 range $2.50 – $6.00; median $4.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-22. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for KLC
- Consensus EPS estimate-$0.00213 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-22
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Significant revenue decline (-17.82% YoY) and unprofitability (-15.48% net margin) as of latest reporting, with material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting that may impede compliance with financial reporting obligations","Heavy dependence on child enrollment and family demand, which is vulnerable to demographic trends, economic conditions, unemployment rates, and potential permanent shifts in workforce office environments reducing demand for center-based child care","Substantial leverage (long-term debt of ~$917M as of April 2026) could constrain capital availability, limit operational flexibility, and restrict cash flow available for reinvestment and growth initiatives"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of KLC's 10-Q filed 2026-05-14 against the prior one filed 2025-11-12.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Reworded:
- Page number for 'Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations' changed from 22 to 20 (filed 2026-05-14)
- Page number for 'Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk' changed from 37 to 29 (filed 2026-05-14)
- Page number for 'Controls and Procedures' changed from 38 to 29 (filed 2026-05-14)
- Page number for 'OTHER INFORMATION' changed from 40 to 31 (filed 2026-05-14)
- Page number for 'Legal Proceedings' changed from 40 to 31 (filed 2026-05-14)
- Notes:
- Only table of contents page numbers changed; actual section content not provided for comparison
- Changes reflect document length reduction or reformatting between filings
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales recorded in the last 90 days.
- Last 180 days3 buys ($1M) · 0 sells — 2 buying insiders
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-03-19. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about KLC's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding KLC as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 3,370,470
- Reported value $7,415,034
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 1 increased, 4 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
KLC had 4,190,402 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
KLC had 3.54% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 9.61 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 4,190,402
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 3.54%
- Prior settlement (shares) 4,304,899
- Reported change -2.66%
- Days to cover (reported) 9.61
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions
- Learning Care Group
- Tutor Time Learning Centers
- La Petite Academy
- Goddard Systems
- Primrose Schools
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare KLC vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) do?
KinderCare Learning Companies is the leading private provider of early education and child care services in the United States, operating a national network of community-based centers, employer-sponsored programs, and before- and after-school sites serving children from six weeks to 12 years of age. The company operates three consumer-facing brands: KinderCare Learning Centers (community-based ECE, 88% of revenue), Crème School (premium ECE, 4% of revenue), and Champions (before- and…
What sector is KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) in?
KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is Early Childhood Education and Child Care Services. It trades on NYSE.
Who are KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC's (KLC) competitors?
Notable peers of KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) include Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Learning Care Group, Tutor Time Learning Centers, La Petite Academy and Goddard Systems. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) overbought or oversold right now?
KINDERCARE LEARNING COMPANIES INC (KLC) is currently in oversold territory (its 14-day RSI is 26, below 30) (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on KLC come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.