Target (NYSE:TGT) Upgraded at KGI Securities

KGI Securities upgraded shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on TGT. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Hsbc Global Res lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $147.00.

Target Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of TGT opened at $115.11 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.51. 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 one year low of $112.10 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $52.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Research analysts forecast that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.89%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Target by 175.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Target by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.