Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Kohl’s Put Options (NYSE:KSS)

Kohl’s Co. (NYSE:KSS) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 41,595 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 20% compared to the average volume of 34,557 put options.

Kohl’s Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:KSS traded up $0.16 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $13.36. The stock had a trading volume of 6,521,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,178,825. Kohl’s has a one year low of $12.62 and a one year high of $29.60. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.01 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.10.

Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.08). Kohl’s had a net margin of 1.47% and a return on equity of 6.44%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.53 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Kohl’s will post 1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kohl’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 11th. Kohl’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 90.09%.

Insider Transactions at Kohl’s

In other news, EVP Feeney Siobhan Mc sold 3,827 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.05, for a total value of $53,769.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 133,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,928.55. The trade was a 2.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kohl’s

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KSS. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in Kohl’s by 183.8% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 917 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kohl’s by 117.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,914 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kohl’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kohl’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Kohl’s by 58.5% during 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 in the last quarter. 98.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on KSS shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Kohl’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Robert W. Baird downgraded shares of Kohl’s from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $25.00 to $18.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on shares of Kohl’s from $23.00 to $17.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Baird R W cut shares of 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 shares of Kohl’s from $20.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kohl’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.22.

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.