Stock Analysis of Target Corporation

1001 Words3 Pages

Target, the nation's #2 discount chain, now operates more than 1,500 Target and Super Target stores in 47 states, as well as an online business called Target.com. Target and its larger grocery-carrying stores, Super Target, have carved out a niche by offering more upscale, fashion-forward merchandise than rivals Wal-Mart and Kmart. After years of struggling to turn around its Marshall Fields and Mervyns departments stores divisions, the discounter sold them both in 2004. Target also owns apparel supplier The Associated Merchandising Corp. and issues Target Visa and its proprietary Target Card (www.Answers.com/topic/target-corporation).

Year over year, Target Corp. has been able to grow revenues from $51.3B to $57.9B. Most impressively, the company has been able to reduce the percentage of sales devoted to cost of goods sold from 69.64% to 69.29%. This was a driver that led to a bottom line growth from $2.4B to $2.8B. Target outperformed (corporate governance quotient) 85.5 % of S&P 500 companies and 97.7 % of discount retail stores. The corporate governance quotient incorporates the values of transparency, accountability, integrity, and responsibility towards maximizing shareholder value. Yahoo analysts opinions mean recommendation is currently a 2.2, indicating moderate buy to hold (a 1.0 is a strong buy and a 5.0 is a strong sell).

Moody's Investors Service downgraded the retailer's long-term rating on debt to A2 from A1. The credit-rating company said the cut is due to Target's plan to use debt to help finance its $10 billion stock buyback. The company’s buyback represents more than 20 percent of outstanding shares and is expected to be completed within three years. The CEO believes the new program will maintain strong investment-grade debt ratings within a prudent range while allowing for substantial value to be returned to shareholders (www.investors.target.com). Moody's also called Target's free cash flow "thin," given the discount retailer's sizable capital spending for store expansion and its growing credit card operations (www.Marketwatch.com). The contribution from the company's credit card operations to third quarter earnings before taxes, net of the allocated interest expense, was $157 million, an increase of $23 million, or 17.1 percent, from the same period in 2006.

Ratios – 3rd Quarter Ending 3-Nov-07 (in millions)

Current - 18,334 / 13,563 = 1.35 current assets / current liabilities

Quick – 18,334 - 8,746 / 13,563 = .71 current assets – inventories / current liabilities

Inv. Turnover – 14,835 / 8,746 = 1.69 sales / inventories

Total Assets Turnover (TAT) – 14,835 / 43,289 = .

Open Document