Target (NYSE:TGT) Trading Down 0.8%

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) shares were down 0.8% on Monday . The company traded as low as $152.91 and last traded at $153.45. Approximately 479,528 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 4,023,102 shares. The stock had previously closed at $154.75.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TGT. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.69.

Target Stock Up 0.5 %

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $154.85. The stock has a market cap of $71.94 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Target by 56.1% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. increased its position in Target by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 5.3% during the second quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Haverford Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 0.3% in the first quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 27,472 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,868,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

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.