Target (NYSE:TGT) Price Target Lowered to $180.00 at Evercore ISI

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its target price trimmed by Evercore ISI from $183.00 to $180.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an in-line rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on TGT. TheStreet upgraded Target from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Target from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. DA Davidson raised their target price on Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $181.85.

Target Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $168.30 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $163.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.95. Target has a 12-month low of $102.93 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The company has a market capitalization of $77.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.85, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast 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 issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is 49.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of Target by 3,577.5% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,471 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in Target by 3.3% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Target by 131.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Ergoteles LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 191.5% during the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 11,794 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 7,748 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is 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.