Target (NYSE:TGT) Trading Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)’s share price shot up 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $132.67 and last traded at $132.40. 1,647,679 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 4,559,011 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on TGT. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Target in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Citigroup cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $188.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $160.57.

Target Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a fifty day moving average of $141.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new stake in shares of Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Target in the third quarter worth $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in Target by 156.5% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Target in the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Target in the second quarter worth $37,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.