Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirty-five ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $115.65.

Several brokerages recently commented on TGT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Target from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group set a $110.00 price objective on Target and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Mizuho cut their price objective on Target from $92.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Cfra Research downgraded shares of Target from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Target from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total transaction of $4,328,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 246,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,703,849.54. This represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fiducient Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC now owns 28,668 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,875,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 5,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $740,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Finally, Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,402,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $100.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $45.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.05, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.22. Target has a twelve month low of $87.35 and a twelve month high of $167.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $99.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.61.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $24.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.54 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 25.59%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.23%.

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.