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

Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $8.61, but opened at $8.40. Kohl’s shares last traded at $8.39, with a volume of 1,197,501 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KSS shares. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Kohl’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group decreased 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. Bank of America cut their price target on Kohl’s from $15.00 to $8.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Kohl’s from $13.00 to $11.25 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Kohl’s from $18.00 to $11.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.10.

Kohl’s Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.31 and a 200-day moving average of $15.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $937.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.92. 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 (NYSE:KSS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $5.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.67 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kohl’s Co. will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kohl’s Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Kohl’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kohl’s news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 3,827 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 133,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,869,928.55. This trade represents a 2.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kohl’s

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Kohl’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new position in Kohl’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kohl’s in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in Kohl’s by 687.4% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 4,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 4,241 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.04% of the company’s stock.

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.