Target (NYSE:TGT) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $100.50 and last traded at $102.26, with a volume of 1019566 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $103.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TGT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price objective on Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded 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, seventeen have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.90.

Target Stock Up 0.0 %

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 firm has a market capitalization of $47.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $121.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $135.75.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released 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. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is 50.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nicholas Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its position 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. acquired a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,459,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in Target by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at $1,566,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.