Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Target Corporation has received an average analyst rating of "Hold", with three sell ratings, twenty-three holds, and ten buy ratings among thirty-six firms covering the stock.
• The company reported $2.05 EPS for the latest quarter, beating analyst expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue decrease of 0.9%.
• Target has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.12 per share, with a current yield of 4.6% and a payout ratio of 53.15%.

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the thirty-six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twenty-three have given a hold recommendation and ten have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $113.7419.

A number of research firms have commented on TGT. Robert W. Baird set a $100.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $108.00 to $106.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Target from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Target from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Target by 63.4% in the second quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Target by 2,530.0% in the second quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Target during the second quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock traded down $0.88 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $95.93. 2,741,144 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,104,474. Target has a 12 month low of $87.35 and a 12 month high of $161.50. The company has a market cap of $43.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.22. The company's 50 day moving average price is $102.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $102.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The retailer reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.01. Target had a net margin of 3.72% and a return on equity of 23.43%. The company had revenue of $24.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Target's revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.000-9.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.15%.

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.