PLCE
The Children's Place, Inc. Consumer Discretionary - Children's Apparel Investor Relations →
The Children's Place, Inc. (PLCE) closed at $3.33 as of 2026-03-20, trading 82.8% below its 200-week moving average of $19.42. This places PLCE in the extreme value zone. The stock is currently moving closer to the line, down from -81.6% last week. With a 14-week RSI of 19, PLCE is in oversold territory.
Over the past 14 weeks, down-weeks have had more trading volume than up-weeks (0.69 buyers-vs-sellers ratio). That means when people are active, they're more often selling than buying. Sellers are still more in control than buyers.
Over the past 1439 weeks of data, PLCE has crossed below its 200-week moving average 20 times. On average, these episodes lasted 32 weeks. Historically, investors who bought PLCE at the start of these episodes saw an average one-year return of +33.4%.
With a market cap of $74 million, PLCE is a small-cap stock. The company generates a free cash flow yield of 91.2%, which is notably high. The stock trades at -8.6x book value.
The company has been aggressively buying back shares, reducing its share count by 8.1% over the past three years.
Over the past 27.7 years, a hypothetical investment of $100 in PLCE would have grown to $43, compared to $1094 for the S&P 500. PLCE has returned -3.0% annualized vs 9.0% for the index, underperforming the broader market over this period.
Free cash flow has been declining at a -100% compound annual rate. A deteriorating cash flow trend warrants extra scrutiny — the stock may be cheap for a reason.
Business Health
Annual financials — how the underlying business has performed over the past several years.
Cash Flow Free cash flow & net income ($M)
Revenue Annual revenue ($M) — business growth proxy
Total Debt Balance sheet debt ($M)
ROIC Return on invested capital (%)
FCF Yield Free cash flow / market cap (%) — Yartseva signal
Gross Margin Pricing power & competitive moat (%)
Shares Outstanding Buybacks vs dilution (millions)
Growth of $100: PLCE vs S&P 500
Monthly data normalized to $100 at start. Vertical dashed lines mark 200-week MA touches.
What Happens After PLCE Crosses Below the Line?
Across 20 historical episodes, buying PLCE when it crossed below its 200-week moving average produced an average return of +29.6% after 12 months (median +23.0%), compared to +2.2% for the S&P 500 over the same periods. 65% of those episodes were profitable after one year. After 24 months, the average return was +48.2% vs +11.7% for the index.
Each line shows $100 invested at the moment PLCE crossed below its 200-week MA. Bold blue = stock average. Gray dashed = S&P 500 average over same periods.
Historical Touches
PLCE has crossed below its 200-week MA 20 times with an average 1-year return of +33.4% after recovery.
| Crossed Below | Recovered | Weeks | Max Depth | 1-Year Return | Return Since Touch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1998 | Sep 1998 | 2 | 2.2% | +288.4% | -57.8% |
| Dec 1999 | Apr 2000 | 19 | 40.7% | +24.0% | -78.5% |
| May 2000 | May 2000 | 3 | 7.6% | +58.4% | -80.1% |
| Jun 2000 | Jun 2000 | 1 | 2.4% | +38.8% | -80.5% |
| Dec 2000 | Jan 2001 | 5 | 15.0% | +38.5% | -81.4% |
| Sep 2001 | Oct 2001 | 3 | 17.2% | -0.9% | -79.4% |
| Jun 2002 | Oct 2003 | 68 | 69.2% | -25.7% | -84.9% |
| May 2004 | May 2004 | 2 | 2.9% | +101.2% | -83.9% |
| Jul 2004 | Aug 2004 | 8 | 23.2% | +143.1% | -81.0% |
| Sep 2004 | Sep 2004 | 1 | 1.2% | +66.4% | -83.7% |
| Jul 2007 | Feb 2010 | 136 | 63.6% | -5.2% | -91.3% |
| Mar 2013 | Apr 2013 | 1 | 0.8% | +12.5% | -91.9% |
| Mar 2014 | Aug 2014 | 20 | 5.4% | +30.0% | -92.7% |
| Sep 2014 | Nov 2014 | 7 | 5.4% | +18.8% | -92.6% |
| Nov 2015 | Dec 2015 | 5 | 7.9% | +41.6% | -93.1% |
| Dec 2018 | Mar 2019 | 15 | 9.9% | -40.2% | -96.3% |
| May 2019 | May 2021 | 103 | 85.7% | -54.0% | -96.3% |
| Jul 2021 | Aug 2021 | 3 | 1.4% | -51.6% | -96.0% |
| Aug 2021 | Nov 2021 | 9 | 5.5% | -50.2% | -96.1% |
| Dec 2021 | Ongoing | 223+ | 88.8% | Ongoing | -95.6% |
| Average | 32 | — | +33.4% | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PLCE below its 200-week moving average?
Yes. As of 2026-03-20, The Children's Place, Inc. (PLCE) is trading 82.8% below its 200-week moving average of $19.42. The current price is $3.33.
What is PLCE's 200-week moving average price?
The Children's Place, Inc.'s 200-week moving average is $19.42 as of 2026-03-20. This is the average weekly closing price over roughly the last 4 years, and it acts as a long-term trend line. When a stock drops below this level, it can signal that the price has fallen far enough from the long-term trend to attract value-oriented investors.
What happens when PLCE drops below its 200-week moving average?
PLCE has crossed below its 200-week moving average 20 times in our data. On average, buying at that moment produced a one-year return of +33.4%. These dips have historically been decent entry points. These episodes lasted 32 weeks on average.
Is PLCE a good value right now?
Here's what our data says about PLCE as of 2026-03-20: The stock is below its 200-week moving average, which is the starting point for our analysis. The 14-week RSI is 19 (oversold). Free cash flow yield is 91.2%. Price-to-book is -8.6x. This is not a buy or sell recommendation — always do your own research.
How does PLCE compare to the S&P 500?
Over the past 27.7 years, $100 invested in PLCE would have grown to $43, compared to $1094 for the S&P 500. That's -3.0% annualized vs 9.0% for the index. PLCE has underperformed the broader market over this period.
Not financial advice. This is an educational tool. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Do your own research before making investment decisions.
Data as of week of 2026-03-20