Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Up 0.8%

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)’s stock price was up 0.8% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $153.87 and last traded at $153.10. Approximately 248,221 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 4,001,323 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.96.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and set a $190.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.68.

Target Stock Up 1.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $148.19 and a 200 day moving average of $155.05.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,945,524 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,401,142,000 after purchasing an additional 417,818 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Target by 6.8% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $647,652,000 after buying an additional 279,656 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 11.4% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,316,738 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $639,050,000 after buying an additional 440,307 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Target by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,153,875 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $558,898,000 after buying an additional 470,647 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Target by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,114,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $461,031,000 after acquiring an additional 435,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.