Target (NYSE:TGT) Trading Down 0.7%

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) shares traded down 0.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $148.71 and last traded at $149.49. 766,780 shares traded hands during mid-day 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 equities analysts recently commented on TGT shares. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “inline” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Target from $153.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.68.

Target Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $147.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.14. The firm has a market cap of $68.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Target during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.