Target (NYSE:TGT) Now Covered by Mizuho

Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Target (NYSE:TGT) in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $92.00 target price on the retailer’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on TGT. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-one have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $134.57.

Target Price Performance

TGT stock opened at $92.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $42.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.86. Target has a 1 year low of $87.35 and a 1 year high of $171.06.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly 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. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.83%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nicholas Company Inc. lifted its stake in Target by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,544,000 after acquiring an additional 9,485 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 144.9% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,699,000 after purchasing an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth about $6,459,000. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC increased its stake in Target by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 14,354 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after buying an additional 3,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.