Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Kohl’s from “hold” to “buy,” but the overall analyst view remains cautious with an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $14.77.
• Kohl’s recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of -$0.13 versus -$0.18 expected and revenue of $3.17 billion versus $2.99 billion expected, which helped support the shares.
• Management said comparable sales improved at the fastest pace in four years and traffic trends are better, though revenue still fell 1.7% year over year and the company kept its FY2026 EPS guidance at $1.00 to $1.60.

Kohl's (NYSE:KSS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Kohl's from $24.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Kohl's from $23.00 to $17.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Kohl's from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Kohl's from $22.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Kohl's in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $14.77.

Kohl's Stock Performance

KSS opened at $14.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $13.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.07. Kohl's has a 1 year low of $7.82 and a 1 year high of $25.22. The stock has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 1.46.

Kohl's (NYSE:KSS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.05. Kohl's had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 4.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.13) EPS. The business's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Kohl's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.000-1.600 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kohl's will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kohl's

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kohl's by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,181,767 shares of the company's stock worth $248,630,000 after buying an additional 273,500 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Kohl's by 13.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,342,340 shares of the company's stock worth $81,811,000 after buying an additional 744,539 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kohl's by 7.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,042,333 shares of the company's stock worth $77,501,000 after buying an additional 351,691 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kohl's by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,703,024 shares of the company's stock worth $55,177,000 after buying an additional 47,037 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Kohl's by 107.9% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,479,061 shares of the company's stock worth $31,980,000 after buying an additional 1,286,710 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.04% of the company's stock.

Key Kohl's News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kohl's this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Kohl’s Q1 results topped expectations, with EPS of -$0.13 versus -$0.18 expected and revenue of $3.17 billion versus $2.99 billion expected, helping support the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management said comparable sales improved at the strongest pace in four years and that traffic and balance-sheet trends are getting better, reinforcing hopes for a turnaround. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles noted a sharp rally in the shares after earnings, with investors rewarding the better-than-expected quarter and signs that the turnaround is taking hold. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Kohl’s reaffirmed its annual targets, which suggests management is not yet raising expectations despite the better quarter. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance calls for EPS of $1.00 to $1.60, which is below some analyst estimates and may cap some of the enthusiasm. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, revenue still declined 1.7% year over year, showing Kohl’s turnaround remains early and sales pressure has not fully disappeared. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst action was mixed, with Bank of America lowering its price target to $14 and UBS maintaining a sell rating, which may temper upside expectations. Article Title Article Title

Kohl's Company Profile

Kohl's Corporation, founded in 1962 by Maxwell Kohl and headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, is a leading American department store retailer. The company operates approximately 1,100 stores across 49 states, offering a combination of value-oriented pricing, private-label brands and national labels. Since its initial public offering in 1992, Kohl's has focused on broadening its product assortment and enhancing the in-store and online shopping experience.

The retailer's merchandise portfolio spans apparel, footwear, accessories, and beauty products for women, men and children, as well as home goods, kitchenware and seasonal décor.

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