Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives $132.37 Average Price Target from Analysts

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the thirty-four research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $132.37.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $142.00 to $101.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $757,892,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $297,122,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Target by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,968,037 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $536,407,000 after buying an additional 1,506,275 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,338,729 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,532,769,000 after buying an additional 1,358,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $182,882,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 1.5 %

NYSE:TGT traded up $1.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,270,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,714,502. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Target has a 1 year low of $87.35 and a 1 year high of $167.40. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $105.58 and a 200-day moving average of $127.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Equities research analysts forecast that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.63%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.56%.

Target Company Profile

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.