Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Price Down 0.7%

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) shares fell 0.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $148.71 and last traded at $149.49. 766,780 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 4,016,225 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on TGT. UBS Group raised their price target on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “inline” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.68.

Target Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $147.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.14 billion, a PE ratio of 16.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $759,810,000. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 1st quarter valued at $335,870,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,683,228 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $382,145,000 after buying an additional 984,464 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Target by 711.2% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,762,000 after buying an additional 768,479 shares during the period. Finally, Focused Investors Fund L P purchased a new position in Target in the first quarter valued at $125,536,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.