SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                  Schedule 13G


                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                               (Amendment No. 15)*


                           J. C. PENNEY COMPANY, INC.
                                (Name of Issuer)


                       Common Stock of 50(cent) par value
                         (Title of Class of Securities)


                                    708160106
                                 (CUSIP Number)


                                December 31, 2003
             (Date of Event Which Requires Filing of This Statement)

           Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to
                         which this Schedule is filed:

                  [X]      Rule 13d-1(b)
                  [_]      Rule 13d-1(c)
                  [_]      Rule 13d-1(d)

*The  remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting  person's
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and
for any  subsequent  amendment  containing  information  which  would  alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed
to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of
1934 ("Act") or otherwise  subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but  shall be  subject  to all other  provisions  of the Act  (however,  see the
Notes).

                        (Continued on following page(s))


+-----------------------------+              +----------------------------+
|CUSIP No.708160106           |     13G      |Page   2    of  6  Pages    |
+-----------------------------+              +----------------------------+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS                                          |
|   | I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY)         |

|   |                                                                     |
|   | Savings, Profit-Sharing and Stock Ownership Plan of J. C. Penney    |
|   |   Corporation, Inc.                                                 |
+---+---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP           +--+     |
|   | (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)                                     (a) +--+     |
|   |                                                                     |
|   |                                                            +--+     |
|   |                                                        (b) +--+     |
+---+---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3 |SEC USE ONLY                                                         |
|   |                                                                     |
|   |                                                                     |
+---+---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4 |CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION                                 |
|   |  Not Applicable                                                     |
|   |                                                                     |
|   |                                                                     |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|            | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER                                      |
|            |   | -0-. See Item 4 (c).                                   |
| NUMBER OF  +---+--------------------------------------------------------|
|   SHARES   | 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER                                    |
|BENEFICIALLY|   | 41,064,725. See Item 4 (c).                            |
|  OWNED BY  +---+--------------------------------------------------------|
|    EACH    | 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER                                 |
|  REPORTING |   | -0-. See Item 4 (c).                                   |
|   PERSON   +---+--------------------------------------------------------|
|    WITH    | 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER                               |
|            |   | 41,064,725. See Item 4 (c).                            |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON        |
|   |                                                                     |
|   | 41,064,725. See Item 4 (c).                                         |
+---+---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN           |
|   | SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)                                           |
|   |                                                                     |
+---+---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9                     |
|   |                                                                     |
|   | 14.5%. See Item 4 (b).                                              |
+---+---------------------------------------------------------------------|
|12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)                         |
|   | EP                                                                  |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+


                                                            Page 3 of 6 Pages





                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D. C. 20549
                                  SCHEDULE 13G
                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
                               (Amendment No. 15)

Item 1(a)         Name of Issuer:
                  J. C. PENNEY COMPANY, INC.

Item 1(b)         Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:
                  6501 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas 75024-3698

Item 2(a)         Name of Person Filing:
                  Savings, Profit-Sharing and Stock Ownership Plan of
                  J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc. ("Plan")
                  (Note: the Plan changed its name effective January 27, 2002,
                  from "Savings, Profit-Sharing and Stock Ownership Plan of
                  J. C. Penney Company, Inc." to its current name stated above).

Item 2(b)         Address of Principal Business Office:
                  6501 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas  75024-3698
                  mailing  address, P.  O.  Box  659002,  Dallas,  Texas
                  75265-9002

Item 2(c)         Citizenship:
                  Not applicable.

Item 2(d)         Title of Class of Securities:
                  Common Stock of 50(cent) par value
                  (Series  B  ESOP  Convertible  Preferred  Stock  ("ESOP
                  Preferred  Stock")  - each  share  being convertible into
                  20 shares of Common Stock ("ESOP Preferred Common Stock
                  Equivalent"))

Item 2(e)         CUSIP No.         708160106

Item 3            If this  statement is filed pursuant to ss.240.13d-1(b),
                  or  240.13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a:

          (f) [x] An employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with
                  ss.240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F).

Item 4   Ownership.
          (a)     Amount Beneficially Owned: 41,064,725 shares. (See Item 4(c)).
          (b)     Percent of Class: 14.5%.
          (c)     Number of shares as to which such person has:

          (i)  sole power to vote or to direct the vote - 0.

          (ii) shared power to vote or to direct the vote - 41,064,725.  Each of
               the issuer's employees who is a Plan participant and who has been
               allocated shares under the Plan  ("Allocated  Stock") is entitled
               to instruct  the trustee  ("Trustee")  of the Plan (State  Street
               Bank and Trust Company) on how to vote the shares of Common Stock
               of 50(cent)par  value of the issuer ("Penney Stock") and the ESOP
               Preferred  Common  Stock  Equivalent   shares  credited  to  such
               participant's  accounts under the Plan plus an allocable  portion
               of all  Allocated  Stock for which no direction has been received
               ("Undirected  Stock").  The  Trustee  is  obligated  to vote such
               Allocated Stock and Undirected Stock as instructed.

          (iii) sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of - 0.

          (iv) shared  power  to  dispose  or to  direct  the  disposition  of -
               41,064,725.  (A) In the  event of any  offer  (including  but not
               limited to a tender or exchange  offer  within the meaning of the
               Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) for shares of Penney
               Stock or ESOP Preferred  Stock,  each Plan participant may direct
               the  Trustee  to accept  or reject  the offer or to tender or not
               tender the shares of Penney Stock and the ESOP  Preferred  Common
               Stock Equivalents  credited to such participant's  accounts under
               the Plan, plus an allocable  portion of all Undirected Stock. The
               Trustee  shall be obligated to follow all such  directions  which
               are timely  received.  The Trustee is to decide whether or not to
               accept or reject an offer or to tender or not to tender shares of
               Penney  Stock  or  ESOP  Preferred  Stock,  as the  case  may be,
               pursuant  to an offer  only if the sum of the number of shares it
               sold, exchanged or transferred in accordance with any other offer
               during  the  preceding  twelve  months  plus the number of shares
               subject  to an  outstanding  offer is fewer than 10% of the total
               number of shares held by the Plan.  (B) Although the Trustee does
               not normally trade shares of Penney Stock or ESOP Preferred Stock
               held by it, under certain  circumstances  a participant  may give
               instructions  regarding  his or her accounts  which may result in
               the sale or transfer of certain shares by the Trustee.

Item 5   Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class.
                  Not applicable

Item 6   Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person.
         The  filing person maintains a trust which holds shares



          of Penney Stock and ESOP Preferred Stock (See Item 2(d) above) for the
          benefit of current and certain former  employees of the issuer who are
          participants in the Plan. Participants in the Plan have the right upon
          termination,  pursuant to the terms of the Plan,  to the vested shares
          of Penney Stock (including  converted ESOP Preferred Stock), or to the
          proceeds of the sale of shares of Penney  Stock  (including  converted
          ESOP Preferred Stock).

Item 7    Identification  and  Classification  of the Subsidiary Which Acquired
          the Security Being Reported on By the Parent Holding Company.
          Not Applicable

Item 8   Identification and Classification of Members of the Group
         Not Applicable

Item 9   Notice of Dissolution of Group.
         Not applicable

Item 10  Certification.

          By  signing  below I certify  that,  to the best of my  knowledge  and
          belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in
          the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held
          for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or  influencing  the
          control of the issuer of the  securities and were not acquired and are
          not held in  connection  with or as a participant  in any  transaction
          having that purpose or effect.

          The filing of this  statement  shall not be  construed as an admission
          that the Plan is, for the  purposes  of Section  13(d) or 13(g) of the
          Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,  the beneficial owner of
          any securities covered by this statement.



Signature.

          After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
     certify that the information set forth in this statement is true,  complete
     and correct.

Date:  February 12, 2004



Signature


/s/George Brand
-----------------
George Brand, Benefit Plans Accounting Manager
Name/Title