Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $182.04.

TGT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Target from $176.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. HSBC upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $140.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $149.00 to $206.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, TheStreet raised Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $166.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $76.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. Target has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $161.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Target will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Tower View Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Target by 82.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in Target by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 192 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation operates as a general merchandise retailer in the United States. The company offers apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, and infants and newborns, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes; and beauty and personal care, baby gear, cleaning, paper products, and pet supplies.