Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) Short Interest Up 15.9% in February

Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 54,430,000 shares, a growth of 15.9% from the February 13th total of 46,960,000 shares. Currently, 50.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 9,000,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.0 days.

Kohl’s Stock Performance

Shares of KSS traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $8.62. The stock had a trading volume of 4,189,877 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,487,436. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.12. Kohl’s has a 12 month low of $7.96 and a 12 month high of $29.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $959.00 million, a PE ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $11.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.55.

Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.23. Kohl’s had a return on equity of 6.44% and a net margin of 1.47%. The business had revenue of $5.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. Kohl’s’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Kohl’s will post 1.3 EPS for the current year.

Kohl’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.80%. Kohl’s’s payout ratio is 51.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KSS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Baird R W cut Kohl’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Kohl’s from $13.00 to $11.25 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Kohl’s from $10.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Kohl’s from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Kohl’s from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $12.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kohl’s

In other Kohl’s news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 3,827 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 133,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,928.55. This trade represents a 2.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kohl’s

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KSS. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Kohl’s by 183.8% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in Kohl’s during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. 98.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.