Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have issued a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $160.57.

TGT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $132.40 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50 day moving average of $140.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.22. The company has a market cap of $60.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.04, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. Target has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in Target in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake in Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by 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.