Target (TGT) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Target (NYSE:TGT) is set to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, November 20th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.28 per share for the quarter. Individual that are interested in registering for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. Target’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Target to post $10 EPS for the current fiscal year and $11 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Target Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of Target stock opened at $152.13 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Target has a twelve month low of $127.19 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $152.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $150.34.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.28%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the sale, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. This represents a 4.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on TGT. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Target from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.47.

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.