Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

by · The Cerbat Gem

Target Co. (NYSE:TGTGet Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seventeen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $181.85.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Gordon Haskett raised their price target on Target from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $174.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Target

Target Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $163.13 on Wednesday. Target has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $75.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $167.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.78.

Target (NYSE:TGTGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. Analysts expect that Target will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company 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 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is 49.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 accessible through this link. In other Target 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 accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the third quarter worth about $375,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,525 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Target by 1.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 82,829 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,158,000 after acquiring an additional 1,408 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC raised its position in Target by 15.0% during the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 18,854 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after purchasing an additional 2,456 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Target by 9.6% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 13,883 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,535,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

About Target

(Get Free Report

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.

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