Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) have been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.22.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird downgraded Kohl’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $25.00 to $18.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Kohl’s from $18.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Gordon Haskett lowered Kohl’s from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating and set a $11.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Guggenheim cut Kohl’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Kohl’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 25th.

Kohl’s Stock Performance

Kohl’s stock opened at $13.74 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $14.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Kohl’s has a 52 week low of $12.62 and a 52 week high of $29.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 1.87.

Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.08). Kohl’s had a return on equity of 6.44% and a net margin of 1.47%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.53 earnings per share. Kohl’s’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kohl’s will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Kohl’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 14.56%. Kohl’s’s payout ratio is currently 90.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 3,827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.05, for a total value of $53,769.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 133,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,928.55. This represents a 2.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kohl’s

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EMC Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Kohl’s by 61.8% in the fourth quarter. EMC Capital Management now owns 7,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 3,014 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Kohl’s by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974 shares in the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kohl’s by 54.1% in the 4th quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 34,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 12,000 shares during the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Kohl’s by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 14,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 1,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth about $145,000. 98.04% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kohl’s

Kohl’s Corporation operates as an omnichannel retailer in the United States. It offers branded apparel, footwear, accessories, beauty, and home products through its stores and website. The company provides its products primarily under the brand names of Croft & Barrow, Jumping Beans, SO, Sonoma Goods for Life, and Tek Gear, as well as Food Network, LC Lauren Conrad, Nine West, and Simply Vera Vera Wang.