Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Down 0.1% – Here’s What Happened

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) was down 0.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $132.90 and last traded at $134.44. Approximately 890,111 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 4,525,803 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $160.57.

Target Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $144.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.21. The stock has a market cap of $60.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Target’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. Target’s payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TGT. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Target by 38.7% during the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 2,193 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at about $249,000. Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 53,737 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,375,000 after acquiring an additional 3,549 shares during the last quarter. Fidelity D & D Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Target in the third quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its stake in Target by 28.4% during the third quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 43,639 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,802,000 after acquiring an additional 9,652 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by 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.