Guggenheim Lowers Target (NYSE:TGT) Price Target to $145.00

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Guggenheim from $180.00 to $145.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the retailer’s stock. Guggenheim’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 15.99% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on TGT. Roth Mkm cut their price target on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.13.

Target Price Performance

TGT stock opened at $125.01 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $151.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.69. Target has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market cap of $57.59 billion, a PE ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The firm’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Target will post 9.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The trade was a 12.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Cynosure Group LLC increased its position in Target by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in shares of Target by 1.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in shares of Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its position in Target by 20.8% during the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Target by 5.3% during the second quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.