Target (NYSE:TGT) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Melius Research started coverage on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.23.

Target Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $133.62 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Target has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its holdings in Target by 1.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its holdings in Target by 3.3% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in Target by 0.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 1.1% during the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is 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.