Target Corp Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (TGT)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Target (NYSE:TGT) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance and growth in earnings per share. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had generally high debt management risk by most measures that we evaluated.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• TGT's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 2.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 3.3%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 25.90% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, TGT should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year.
• TARGET CORP's earnings per share improvement from the most recent quarter was slightly positive. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, TARGET CORP increased its bottom line by earning $4.29 versus $4.01 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($4.36 versus $4.29).
• The company, on the basis of net income growth from the same quarter one year ago, has underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500 and the Multiline Retail industry average. The net income has remained constant at $704.00 million when compared to the same quarter one year ago.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Multiline Retail industry and the overall market on the basis of return on equity, TARGET CORP has underperformed in comparison with the industry average, but has exceeded that of the S&P 500.

Target Corporation operates general merchandise stores in the United States. The company has a P/E ratio of 14.7, equal to the average retail industry P/E ratio and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Target has a market cap of $42.08 billion and is part of the services sector and retail industry. Shares are up 25.5% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday.

You can view the full Target Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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