Should I Buy KSS? KSS 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Kohls Corp (KSS) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

18.500

1 Day change

4.40%

52 Week Range

25.220

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/05

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Buy for a short-term swing: SwingMax issued an entry on 2026-02-03 and price is still close to the signal level (+1.57%), with improving momentum (positive/expanding MACD) and neutral RSI.
Risk/reward is better as a tactical trade than a long-term investment: fundamentals are still declining (Q3 FY2026 revenue/EPS down YoY), and Street ratings remain mixed-to-cautious despite higher price targets.
Key levels for an impatient entry: price (~18.16) is above pivot (17.773) with near resistance at 18.53, then 19.00; downside levels to watch are 17.77/17.01.

Technical Analysis

Trend/Momentum: MACD histogram +0.041 and expanding → bullish momentum building.
RSI: RSI(6) ~53.98 → neutral (not overbought), allowing room for continuation.
Moving averages: converging MAs → transition zone; a breakout above resistance would confirm trend.
Levels: Pivot 17.773; Resistance 18.533 (R1) then 19.003 (R2); Support 17.013 (S1) then 16.543 (S2).
Pattern-based odds: similar-pattern model suggests near-term softness (40% chance to -1.57% next day; -3.76% next week) but improves over 1 month (+4.22%).

Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals

AI Stock Picker: No signal on given stock today.
SwingMax: Entry signal on 2026-02-03; stock is +1.57% since the signal → still a valid swing setup (not overly extended).

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Positioning/Sentiment split: OI Put/Call = 1.19 suggests heavier put open interest (more hedging/cautious positioning).
Near-term flow: Volume Put/Call = 0.44 indicates call volume > put volume today (more bullish trading flow).
Volatility: 30D IV ~71% vs HV ~50.9% → options are pricing elevated moves vs realized; IV rank ~29 and IV percentile ~43 implies not extreme vs recent history.
Activity: today volume is ~49% of 30D avg (not a “crowded” options day), while open interest base is sizable (OI ~171.6k).

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Hedge funds buying: reported buying amount up ~1300% QoQ, supportive for near-term demand.
- Technical momentum improving (positive, expanding MACD) with price holding above pivot (~17.77).
- Upcoming earnings: next print 2026-03-05 pre-market (event-driven catalyst potential).
- Analyst price targets have broadly moved higher since Q3 beat/raised outlook commentary (supports “less-bad” narrative).

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Fundamental pressure persists: latest quarter shows continued YoY declines in revenue, net income, and EPS.
- Options positioning shows cautious longer-dated sentiment (OI put/call > 1).
- Street still contains multiple bearish stances (Sell/Underweight/Underperform), implying skepticism on durability of turnaround.
- News flow provided is macro/retail-investor themed and not a direct company-specific positive catalyst.

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: FY2026 Q3.
Revenue: $3.575B, -3.64% YoY (still contracting).
Profitability: Net income $8M, -63.64% YoY; EPS $0.07, -65% YoY (earnings power still weak).
Margin: Gross margin 37.48% (+0.11% YoY) (small improvement, but not enough to offset earnings decline).
Interpretation: modest margin stabilization, but the core issue remains insufficient top-line recovery and sharp EPS compression.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: price targets have been raised across the board after Q3 beats/raised outlook signals and “stabilization” commentary.
Ratings remain mixed-to-cautious:
- More constructive/neutral: Baird Neutral ($24), Jefferies Hold ($24), Citi Neutral ($23), Telsey Market Perform ($23).
- Bearish: Goldman Sell ($15), UBS Sell ($7), Morgan Stanley Underweight ($19), JPMorgan Underweight ($22), BofA Underperform ($18).
Wall Street pros view (summary):
- Pros: improving execution narrative, signs of stabilization, targets moving up.
- Cons: many believe the market may be pricing an overly optimistic turnaround, with sales rebuild and profitability recovery still uncertain.
Politicians/congress: No recent congress trading data available; insiders reported as neutral (no significant recent trend).

13 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast KSS stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for KSS is 19.75 USD with a low forecast of 7 USD and a high forecast of 25 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

1 Buy

7 Hold

5 Sell

Moderate Sell

Current: 17.720

Low

Averages

19.75

High

Current: 17.720

Low

Averages

19.75

High

Baird

Neutral

maintain

$22 -> $24

AI Analysis

2025-12-17

Reason

Baird

Price Target

$22 -> $24

AI Analysis

2025-12-17

maintain

Neutral

Reason

Baird raised the firm's price target on Kohl's to $24 from $22 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. The firm sees an improving backdrop into 2026 as consumer stimulus including lower taxes, wealth effects, and tariff mitigation set the stage for stronger revenue and earnings growth especially after tariffs are cycled in the first half.

Jefferies

Hold

maintain

$20 -> $24

2025-12-12

Reason

Jefferies

Price Target

$20 -> $24

2025-12-12

maintain

Hold

Reason

Jefferies raised the firm's price target on Kohl's to $24 from $20 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares. The firm, which adjusted targets among its fashion brands coverage, would prioritize momentum-led upside to estimates versus turnarounds at this point. The firm, which believes across the fashion space that the market is expecting a more resilient consumer and constructive tariff backdrop at least for the near-term, has a 2026 base case that assumes stable consumer spend, although still pressured at the low-end, the analyst tells investors.

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KSS Should I Buy

KSS Should I Buy

Should You Buy Kohls Corp (KSS) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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