Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives $182.04 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and sixteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $181.85.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Target from $157.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the business’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP increased its position in Target by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 192 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Target in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Up 1.0 %

TGT opened at $168.30 on Friday. Target has a 52 week low of $102.93 and a 52 week 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.95. The firm has a market cap of $77.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Target will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

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.