Kohl’s Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:KSS)

Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 41,902 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 29% compared to the average volume of 32,372 call options.

Kohl’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KSS traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $14.74. The stock had a trading volume of 22,784,443 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,414,291. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $18.86 and a 200-day moving average of $20.77. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.16, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Kohl’s has a fifty-two week low of $14.22 and a fifty-two week high of $29.60.

Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.64 billion. Kohl’s had a net margin of 1.66% and a return on equity of 7.43%. Kohl’s’s revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Kohl’s will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Kohl’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 13.57%. Kohl’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.43%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on KSS shares. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Kohl’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Kohl’s from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Citigroup cut their price target on Kohl’s from $18.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird cut Kohl’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $25.00 to $18.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Kohl’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kohl’s presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 16,367 shares of Kohl’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.27, for a total value of $315,392.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 136,799 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,636,116.73. This trade represents a 10.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kohl’s

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Kohl’s by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 491 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Kohl’s by 2.0% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 31,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 623 shares during the period. Insight Folios Inc raised its holdings in Kohl’s by 3.4% during the third quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 21,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $452,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its position in Kohl’s by 50.0% in the second quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its holdings in Kohl’s by 183.8% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.