Target (NYSE:TGT) Price Target Lowered to $142.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its price target trimmed by The Goldman Sachs Group from $166.00 to $142.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the retailer’s stock.

TGT has been the subject of several other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Daiwa America cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $148.23.

Target Trading Down 0.4 %

TGT opened at $116.70 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $132.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Target has a 12 month low of $112.53 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.