Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) Stock Price Up 6.3% After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Kohl’s shares rose 6.3% after Gordon Haskett upgraded the stock from “hold” to “buy” and set a $27 price target, above the reported trading price of about $23.56.
• Despite the upgrade, overall analyst sentiment remains cautious: Kohl’s has an average “Reduce” rating and a consensus price target of $17.25, while insiders have sold nearly 45,900 shares in the past quarter.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.28 in earnings per share versus the $0.58 consensus estimate and $3.52 billion in revenue, while maintaining annual guidance of $1.80–$2.40 EPS and a $0.125 quarterly dividend.

Kohl's Corporation (NYSE:KSS - Get Free Report) shares traded up 6.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Gordon Haskett upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. Gordon Haskett now has a $27.00 price target on the stock. Kohl's traded as high as $23.42 and last traded at $23.5640. Approximately 412,446 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 4,514,095 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.16.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Kohl's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Kohl's in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Kohl's from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Kohl's from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Kohl's from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $17.25.

Insider Activity at Kohl's

In other news, EVP Jennifer Kent sold 22,942 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.00, for a total transaction of $458,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 234,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,689,040. This trade represents a 8.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 45,882 shares of company stock worth $963,520. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kohl's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Kohl's by 1,016.9% during the third quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 312,630 shares of the company's stock worth $5,771,000 after buying an additional 284,640 shares during the last quarter. Dupree Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kohl's in the third quarter worth about $1,953,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Kohl's by 3.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 47,867 shares of the company's stock worth $884,000 after buying an additional 1,401 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kohl's in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Kohl's by 1,409.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 515,833 shares of the company's stock worth $9,141,000 after acquiring an additional 481,657 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.04% of the company's stock.

Kohl's Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.41 and a beta of 1.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $18.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.49.

Kohl's (NYSE:KSS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The company reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.70. Kohl's had a return on equity of 6.75% and a net margin of 1.75%. The business had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.56 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Kohl's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.800-2.400 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Kohl's Corporation will post 2.10 EPS for the current year.

Kohl's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a $0.1250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Kohl's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.83%.

About Kohl's

Kohl's Corporation NYSE: KSS is an American department store retailer that sells apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty products, home furnishings, toys and other consumer merchandise. The company serves customers through its stores and digital platforms, offering a mix of national brands, private-label products and exclusive merchandise.

Kohl's is headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and operates primarily in the United States. Its retail model combines department store shopping with e-commerce and services such as in-store and online fulfillment.

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