Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Receives $160.57 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-two brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have assigned a hold recommendation and fifteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $160.57.

TGT has been the topic of several research reports. Hsbc Global Res cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $188.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $131.92 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $142.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.50. Target has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86. 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 (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Target will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This represents a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP purchased a new stake in Target in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 156.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.