Target (NYSE:TGT) Given New $137.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its target price cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $165.00 to $137.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on TGT. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Target in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Roth Mkm decreased their price target on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.13.

Target Price Performance

TGT opened at $121.66 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The business’s 50-day moving average is $151.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.92. Target has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Target will post 9.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was 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 directly owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Target during the second quarter worth $25,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its stake in Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.