Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE:KSS) stock rose Thursday after the retailer reported better-than-expected first-quarter results, helped by stronger sales trends and improved merchandise execution.

High Short Interest Adds Volatility Potential

The stock surged over 19%, as high short interest—exceeding 31% of the float—likely acted as a catalyst, amplifying buying pressure and accelerating the rally.

The company has a short float of 25.762 million shares, representing 31.97% of its publicly traded float, indicating a very high level of short interest among investors betting against the stock.

Kohl’s Quarterly Results

Kohl’s reported a first-quarter adjusted loss of 13 cents per share, narrower than analysts’ expectations for a loss of 19 cents per share.

Quarterly revenue totaled $3.167 billion, topping Wall Street estimates of $2.991 billion.

Comparable sales declined 1.1% year over year in the quarter. Despite the decline, the result marked Kohl’s strongest quarterly comparable-sales performance in more than four years, supported by tighter cost controls and ...