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

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation, eighteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $179.68.

TGT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa America raised Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st.

Target Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $152.92 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $148.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Target has a 1 year low of $102.93 and a 1 year high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. Target’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Target will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new stake in Target during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 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.