261,117 Shares in Kontoor Brands, Inc. $KTB Purchased by Nicholas Investment Partners LP

Key Points

• Nicholas Investment Partners bought 261,117 shares of Kontoor Brands, valued at approximately $21.8 million, giving it a 0.47% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 93.06% of the company.
• Kontoor Brands slightly beat quarterly EPS estimates with $1.06 per share, although revenue fell 11.2% year over year to $584.29 million. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.25–$5.35.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, representing a 2.6% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $95, while company insiders sold roughly $16.3 million in stock over the past 90 days.

Nicholas Investment Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Kontoor Brands, Inc. (NYSE:KTB - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 261,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,761,000. Kontoor Brands comprises approximately 1.2% of Nicholas Investment Partners LP's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Nicholas Investment Partners LP owned about 0.47% of Kontoor Brands at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KTB. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Kontoor Brands in the 2nd quarter worth $9,890,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Kontoor Brands during the second quarter worth about $2,234,000. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kontoor Brands during the second quarter worth about $651,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kontoor Brands during the second quarter worth about $350,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kontoor Brands in the second quarter valued at about $491,000. 93.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kontoor Brands news, CEO Scott H. Baxter sold 184,403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.40, for a total value of $15,379,210.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 261,786 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,832,952.40. This represents a 41.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer H. Broyles sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.02, for a total value of $324,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,261,946.22. This represents a 9.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 196,063 shares of company stock valued at $16,342,364. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kontoor Brands Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Kontoor Brands stock opened at $82.93 on Tuesday. Kontoor Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $56.19 and a 12-month high of $88.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The stock has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $82.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.69.

Kontoor Brands (NYSE:KTB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 12th. The company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $584.29 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $586.95 million. Kontoor Brands had a net margin of 8.21% and a return on equity of 59.71%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.33 EPS. Kontoor Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.350 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Kontoor Brands, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kontoor Brands Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Kontoor Brands's payout ratio is currently 44.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Kontoor Brands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings raised Kontoor Brands from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Kontoor Brands from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Kontoor Brands from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Kontoor Brands from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.00.

Kontoor Brands Company Profile

Kontoor Brands, Inc is a global apparel company best known for its Wrangler and Lee denim and lifestyle brands. Established as an independent, publicly traded company in May 2019 following a spin-off from VF Corporation, Kontoor leverages a legacy that dates back to 1889 with the founding of Lee and to 1947 with the introduction of the Wrangler brand. The company focuses on designing, manufacturing and distributing premium, casual and workwear apparel, including jeans, pants, shorts, shirts, jackets and complementary accessories.

Kontoor Brands operates a diversified sales model that combines wholesale partnerships with leading retailers, distribution through e-commerce channels and select direct-to-consumer formats.

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