Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Target (NYSE:TGT) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Target in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price objective for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $137.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Daiwa America raised shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.13.

Target Trading Down 0.0 %

TGT traded down $0.06 on Thursday, hitting $121.66. The company had a trading volume of 18,034,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,305,211. The company has a market cap of $56.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24. Target has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $151.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.92.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Target will post 9.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The trade was a 12.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 over the last ninety days. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 156.5% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.