Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Price

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its price target increased by Citigroup from $130.00 to $133.00 in a research report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on TGT. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. HSBC downgraded Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.23.

Target Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $133.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $136.45 and a 200 day moving average of $145.23. The company has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. 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 $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Target will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Target by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at $36,000. 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.