Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $181.85.

Several research firms recently weighed in on TGT. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Target from $157.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $174.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th.

Target Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of TGT opened at $164.47 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $75.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s fifty day moving average is $162.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.34. Target has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. Analysts forecast that Target will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Plancorp LLC boosted its stake in Target by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,520 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $535,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Target by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $760,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,130 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its stake in Target by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,715 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Target by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. 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.