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

Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 77,021 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 118% compared to the average volume of 35,354 call options.

Kohl’s Price Performance

NYSE:KSS opened at $9.39 on Tuesday. Kohl’s has a 12-month low of $7.96 and a 12-month high of $29.60. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.28. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $5.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.25 billion. Kohl’s had a net margin of 1.47% and a return on equity of 6.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 earnings per share. Research analysts expect 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 issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 21st. Kohl’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.02%.

Insider Activity at Kohl’s

In other news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 3,827 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,869,928.55. This trade represents a 2.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kohl’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Kohl’s in the 4th quarter worth about $19,874,000. Gate City Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kohl’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $12,773,000. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Kohl’s by 10.8% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,576,274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,859,000 after purchasing an additional 740,398 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,778,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kohl’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,185,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.04% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $13.00 target price on shares of Kohl’s in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Guggenheim downgraded Kohl’s from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Kohl’s from $11.00 to $8.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Baird R W lowered Kohl’s from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Kohl’s from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.10.

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.