Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.0345.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Target from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Target from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Tuesday, December 30th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $93.00 to $80.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $120.00 target price on Target in a report on Monday, January 12th.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 63.4% during the second quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Target in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in Target by 192.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $106.54 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $97.27 and a 200-day moving average of $96.33. Target has a 52-week low of $83.44 and a 52-week high of $145.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $48.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.93, a P/E/G ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 1.12.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.07. Target had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 22.74%. The company had revenue of $25.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.000-8.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Target’s payout ratio is presently 55.34%.

About Target

Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company operates a network of full-line and small-format stores across the United States alongside a national e-commerce platform and mobile app. Target’s retail assortment spans apparel, home goods, electronics, groceries and household essentials, plus beauty, baby and pet categories. The firm complements national brands with a portfolio of owned and exclusive labels and partnerships that help differentiate its merchandise assortment.

Target traces its roots to the Dayton Company, founded by George Dayton in 1902; the Target discount chain was launched in 1962 and the parent company later adopted the Target Corporation name.