Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) shares traded down 1.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $130.62 and last traded at $130.75. 1,128,815 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 4,530,779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on TGT. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.57.

Target Trading Down 0.2 %

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $146.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $59.76 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced 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). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. 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 company posted $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. JB Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 20,173 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,986,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 1,398 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Target by 26.5% in the second quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,795 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Everhart Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Target by 29.8% in the second quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. 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.