Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the thirty-four brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $116.70.

TGT has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on Target from $92.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 target price (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Target from $101.00 to $90.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total value of $4,328,100.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 246,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,703,849.54. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the first quarter worth $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of TGT opened at $98.08 on Thursday. Target has a twelve month low of $87.35 and a twelve month high of $167.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $95.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.66.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.35). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $24.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. Target’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.