Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Target (NYSE:TGT) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Target in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.47.

Target Stock Down 0.4 %

TGT stock opened at $154.99 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $152.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $150.49. Target has a 52 week low of $108.08 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $71.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Target will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,044 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Target by 6.8% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $647,652,000 after purchasing an additional 279,656 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,316,738 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $639,050,000 after buying an additional 440,307 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,153,875 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $558,898,000 after buying an additional 470,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,114,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $461,031,000 after buying an additional 435,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

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.