Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on TGT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Target has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $145.55.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $104.29 on Thursday. Target has a one year low of $101.76 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $138.03. The stock has a market cap of $47.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. 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 (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 50.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter worth $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 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.