Target (NYSE:TGT) Given New $130.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its price objective dropped by Stifel Nicolaus from $145.00 to $130.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “hold” rating on the retailer’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 12.61% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also commented on the stock. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $155.57.

Target Stock Performance

TGT traded down $1.70 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $115.44. 1,737,973 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,758,479. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. Target has a 1-year low of $112.53 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in Target by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,732,801 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Target by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,930,569 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,964,565,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306,552 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,338,729 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,532,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,358,348 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,885,015 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,332,317,000 after purchasing an additional 470,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth $757,892,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.