Target (NYSE:TGT) Trading Down 1.3% – Here’s What Happened

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) fell 1.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $130.62 and last traded at $130.75. 1,128,815 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 4,530,779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America lowered their price target on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen cut their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $160.57.

Target Stock Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $59.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.83, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $143.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $146.80.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its 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 company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cynosure Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its stake in Target by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $894,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its holdings in Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 20.8% in the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integral Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Target by 5.3% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.