Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $160.30.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st.

Target Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $130.09 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $149.31 and a 200 day moving average of $148.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Target has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.93 billion, a PE ratio of 13.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results 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). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Target by 7.2% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 37,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,800,000 after purchasing an additional 2,496 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 38,774 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,043,000 after purchasing an additional 3,325 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 63.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,930 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,327,000 after buying an additional 5,779 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Target by 331.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 14,387 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,242,000 after buying an additional 11,054 shares during the period. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter worth $1,684,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.