Target (NYSE:TGT) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Target (NYSE:TGT) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Roth Capital set a $122.00 price objective on Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price objective (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $142.90.

Target Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of TGT stock traded up $1.41 on Wednesday, reaching $105.84. 5,559,616 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,224,457. The company has a market capitalization of $48.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. Target has a 12-month low of $99.25 and a 12-month high of $177.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $121.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.54.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Target by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $343,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Target by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,603,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC lifted its position in Target by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank boosted its holdings in Target by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 445 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Target by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

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.