Analysts Set Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Target Price at $177.61

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $177.61.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. HSBC raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $140.00 to $195.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Target in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $116.00 target price on the stock.

Target Stock Up 0.9 %

Target stock opened at $148.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Target has a 1-year low of $102.93 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $68.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $152.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.22.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.02). Target had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 31.91%. The business had revenue of $24.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.05 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Target will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 49.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Target by 148.6% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 174 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. 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.