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

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirty-two analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have issued a hold recommendation and fifteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $158.23.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Roth Mkm reduced their price target on Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa America lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Hsbc Global Res lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Target in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $133.62 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a 50-day moving average of $136.45 and a 200 day moving average of $145.23. Target has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Target will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Institutional Trading of Target

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 156.5% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.