Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Down 1.6% - What's Next?

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) traded down 1.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $93.31 and last traded at $93.16. 1,490,510 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 5,552,260 shares. The stock had previously closed at $94.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the topic of several research reports. Guggenheim upped their price target on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com cut shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $132.37.

Target Stock Down 1.2 %

The business's fifty day simple moving average is $108.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.59. 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 cap of $41.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.87%. Target's payout ratio is 50.56%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Nicholas Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,485 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 144.9% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,699,000 after purchasing an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth $6,459,000. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 14,354 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 3,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its position in Target by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. 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.