Target (NYSE:TGT) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

Target (NYSE:TGT) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Target from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.47.

Target Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of TGT traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $149.99. The company had a trading volume of 3,279,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,918,147. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $152.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.11. Target has a 52-week low of $105.23 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for 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 quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Target will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norden Group LLC grew its position in shares of Target by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 2,229 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in shares of Target by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 2,143 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter valued at about $238,000. Catalina Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter valued at about $248,000. 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.