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

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $182.04.

TGT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Target from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th.

Insider Activity

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 346,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the business’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 sale, 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 worth $8,819,598. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Plancorp LLC grew its holdings in Target by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,520 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $760,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,130 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,158,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC increased its position in Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,715 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,099,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,005,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $166.12 on Friday. Target has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $76.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $161.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Target will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Target’s payout ratio is 49.27%.

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.