Gordon Haskett upgrades Kohl's to Buy with $27 price target

Gordon Haskett of Haskett Research raised Kohl's (KSS) from Hold to Buy, setting a $27 price target. The upgrade sparked a 12% jump in the stock price. Haskett cited a slowdown in traffic declines and a modest sales slip in the latest quarter as signs of a turnaround. The analyst’s target implies about an 18‑times forward earnings multiple, well above the Wall Street consensus of $19.

The higher target and implied forward‑earnings multiple suggest a more optimistic valuation than the market consensus, which could attract additional buying pressure. Investors will watch Kohl's upcoming Q3 results to see if the traffic improvement translates into sales growth.

  • 1Gordon Haskett upgraded Kohl's to Buy from Hold.
  • 2Kohl's shares jumped 12% after the upgrade.
  • 3Haskett set a price target of $27, compared with the Wall Street average target of $19.
  • 4The $27 target works out to about 18x forward earnings, versus 15x forward earnings at the close and a five‑year average of 13x.
  • 5Foot‑traffic tracker Placer.ai reported Kohl's visits were 9.6% above their recent average on sale days.
  • 6In the second quarter ended Aug. 1, Kohl's net sales slipped 0.9% and gross margin rose 305 basis points to 43.0%.

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