Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) Shares Down 19.8% – Should You Sell?

Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) dropped 19.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $7.03 and last traded at $6.90. Approximately 4,991,971 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average daily volume of 7,851,975 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.60.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KSS has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on Kohl’s from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Kohl’s from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $10.00 target price on shares of Kohl’s in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Kohl’s from $18.00 to $11.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Kohl’s from $10.00 to $5.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.87.

Kohl’s Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $728.06 million, a P/E ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $11.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $14.77.

Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.23. Kohl’s had a net margin of 1.47% and a return on equity of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $5.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Kohl’s’s revenue was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Kohl’s Co. will post 1.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kohl’s Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st were paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 21st. Kohl’s’s payout ratio is currently 51.02%.

Insider Transactions at Kohl’s

In related news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 3,827 shares of Kohl’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.05, for a total transaction of $53,769.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,869,928.55. The trade was a 2.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kohl’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Kohl’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Kohl’s in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Kohl’s by 687.4% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,858 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 4,241 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Kohl’s by 58.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.04% of the company’s stock.

Kohl’s Company Profile

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.