Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Down 0.1% - Time to Sell?

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) was down 0.1% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $132.90 and last traded at $134.44. Approximately 890,111 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 4,525,803 shares. The stock had previously closed at $134.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Target from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued 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 target price of $160.57.

Target Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $60.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. The company's 50 day moving average is $144.36 and its 200 day moving average is $147.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.10 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Target's payout ratio is 47.51%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,418,510.67. This represents a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.