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

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $86.04 and last traded at $86.34, with a volume of 5933295 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.10.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Loop Capital set a $95.00 price target on Target in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Target from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Citigroup boosted their price target on Target from $94.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.65.

Target Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day moving average of $94.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.89.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The retailer reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $24.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.84 billion. Target had a return on equity of 23.43% and a net margin of 3.72%.The firm’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Target has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $1.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.3%. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.12. Target’s payout ratio is currently 53.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 63.4% in the 2nd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 2,530.0% in the 2nd quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. 79.73% of the stock is 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.