The outlook for Kohl's Corporation KSS seems particularly uncertain, and traffic trends could remain subdued well into 2021, according to Gordon Haskett.

The retailer reported a second-quarter adjusted earnings loss of 25 cents per share Tuesday, beating a Street estimate of an 83-cent-per-share loss. Sales of $3.41 billion beat a $3.09-billion estimate. 

The Kohl's Analyst: Chuck Grom downgraded Kohl's from Hold to Underperform and set a $14 price target. 

The Kohl's Takeaways: Although the Kohl’s management team is strong, elusive traffic trends could exert pressure on the bottom line in 2021, Grom said in a Tuesday downgrade note.

The analyst named four issues “that span both the near-term set-up as well as how Kohl’s comp recovery could manifest in 2021.”

• The back-to-school season is the biggest near-term worry for Kohl’s, with a survey indicating that around 35% students will not be attending classes in person this fall and parents will be shopping later this year.
• The weather outlook is unfavorable for the company, which has historically been highly weather-sensitive.
• The upcoming holiday season outlook remains bleak for apparel retailers, as a heightened promotional environment could persist through the rest of the year, consumers may continue to avoid shopping stores and the upcoming election could create some anxiety around the shopping period.
• The sales recovery in 2021 could be less robust than earlier expected.

KSS Price Action: Shares of Kohl’s were trading down 0.85% at $19.84 at the the time of publication.

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Photo courtesy of Kohl's.