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

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

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.23.

Target Stock Up 0.3 %

TGT stock traded up $0.37 on Friday, hitting $133.62. 6,869,705 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,330,588. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $136.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.23. Target has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Target’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Target will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in Target by 156.5% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Target by 110.7% in 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 last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.