Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Down 2.2% - Time to Sell?

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 2.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $96.79 and last traded at $97.07. 1,385,590 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 6,092,664 shares. The stock had previously closed at $99.29.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on TGT. Roth Capital set a $122.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Target from $92.00 to $88.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Target from $135.00 to $115.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Target from $112.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $116.70.

Target Stock Down 4.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $95.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.23.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.35). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $24.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.70%. Target's payout ratio is presently 49.23%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total value of $4,328,100.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 246,453 shares in the company, valued at $23,703,849.54. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the first quarter worth $46,000. Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 7.6% in the first quarter. Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC now owns 30,845 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,219,000 after purchasing an additional 2,177 shares during the period. Invst LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.2% in the first quarter. Invst LLC now owns 10,373 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the first quarter valued at approximately $48,371,000. Finally, Ellsworth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 8.0% in the first quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 38,828 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,052,000 after purchasing an additional 2,883 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

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.