Target (NYSE:TGT) Shares Down 4.9% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) fell 4.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $92.07 and last traded at $92.87. 2,623,407 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 5,466,733 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Target from $124.00 to $82.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-one have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.57.

Target Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $113.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.86. The firm has a market cap of $42.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. As a group, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. bought a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

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.