Here's Why Kohl's (KSS) Appears To Be A Solid Value Stock

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Kohl's Corporation (NYSE:KSS) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Kohl's has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 15.91, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 21.02. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Kohl's current PE level puts it above its midpoint of 12.19 over the past five years, with the number having risen rapidly over the past few months.



Further, the stock’s PE compares favorably with the Zacks Retail – Wholesale sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 30.11. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.



We should also point out that Kohl's has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 13.01, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Kohl's stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Kohl's has a P/S ratio of about 0.58. This is much lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 3.37 right now. This makes the stock undervalued from the P/S aspect as well.



Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Kohl's currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Kohl's a solid choice for value investors.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Kohl's might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of A and a Momentum Score of C. This gives KSS a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been quite encouraging. The current quarter has seen three estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to one downward revision, while the full year estimate has seen nine upward and no downward revisions in the same time period.

This has had a meaningful impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has surged 26.8% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has soared 28.6%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

Thanks to this bullish trend, the stock boasts a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), which is why we are looking for outperformance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Kohl's is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Moreover, this Zacks Rank #1 stock possesses a solid Zacks Industry Rank (among top 1% of more than 250 industries).

So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick.

Breaking News: Cryptocurrencies Now Bigger than Visa

The total market cap of all cryptos recently surpassed $700 billion – more than a 3,800% increase in the previous 12 months. They’re now bigger than Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and even Visa! The new asset class may expand even more rapidly in 2018 as new investors continue pouring in and Wall Street becomes increasingly involved.

Zacks’ has just named 4 companies that enable investors to take advantage of the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies via the stock market.

Click here to access these stocks. >>

Kohl's Corporation (KSS): Free Stock Analysis Report

Original post

Zacks Investment Research