Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-two brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $162.13.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on TGT. Daiwa America upgraded shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $137.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $1,114,173.88. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Cynosure Group LLC raised its holdings in Target by 4.3% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its position in shares of Target by 1.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in Target by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Target by 20.8% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integral Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Target by 5.3% in the 2nd 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Up 2.8 %

TGT stock opened at $125.01 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $151.27 and its 200-day moving average is $149.61. Target has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Target will post 9.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.58%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

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.