Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seventeen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $181.85.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on TGT shares. HSBC upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $140.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Target from $157.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Target from $183.00 to $180.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $160.41 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $166.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.90. Target has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Target will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Insider Activity at Target

In related news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its position in Target by 148.6% in the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 174 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Group LLC lifted its stake in Target by 85.0% in the first quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 198 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

About Target

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.