Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives $182.04 Consensus PT from Analysts

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $182.04.

A number of research analysts have commented on TGT shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $149.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Target from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th.

Target Stock Down 0.7 %

TGT opened at $165.01 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91. Target has a one year low of $102.93 and a one year high of $181.86. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.80.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Target will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’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 owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Plancorp LLC boosted its position in Target by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 2,520 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $535,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $760,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Target by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,130 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,715 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,099,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Financial Advisory LLC lifted its position in Target by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently 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.