Brokerages Set Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) PT at $160.57

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirty-two brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $160.57.

Several research analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Target in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Cynosure Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its holdings in Target by 1.2% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $894,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its stake in Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Target by 20.8% in the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased 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 valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $131.48 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $60.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $142.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $146.51. Target has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Target will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

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.