Is Target (TGT) a Great Stock for Value Investors?

Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?

One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put Target Corporation TGT stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:

PE Ratio

A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.

On this front, Target has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 14.47, as you can see in the chart below:

This level actually compares pretty favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 19.84. If we focus on the stock’s long-term PE trend, the current level puts Target’s current PE ratio just slightly above its midpoint of 14.45 over the past five years.

Further, the stock’s PE also compares favorably with the Zacks classified Retail-Discount & Variety industry’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 24.48. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is relatively undervalued right now, compared to its peers.

We should also point out that Target has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of 14.09, so it is fair to say that a slightly more value-oriented path may be ahead for Target stock in the near term too.

P/S Ratio

Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.

Right now, Target has a P/S ratio of about 0.60. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 2.97 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is well below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.

If anything, TGT is in the lower end of its range in the time period from a P/S metric, suggesting some level of undervalued trading—at least compared to historical norms.

Broad Value Outlook

In aggregate, Target currently has a Zacks Value Style Score of ‘A’, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Target a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.

For example, the P/CF ratio for Target (another great indicator of value) comes in at 10.72, which is better than the industry average of 13.45. Clearly, TGT is a solid choice on the value front from multiple angles.

What About the Stock Overall?

Though Target might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth grade of ‘B’ and a Momentum score of ‘A’. This gives TGT a Zacks VGM score—or its overarching fundamental grade—of ‘A’. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)

Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current quarter has seen seven estimates go higher in the past sixty days compared to none lower, while the full year estimate has seen nine upward revisions and none downward in the same time period.

This has had a favorable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current quarter consensus estimate has risen by 2.5% in the past two months, while the full year estimate has inched up by 5.2%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:

TARGET CORP Price and Consensus

 

TARGET CORP Price and Consensus | TARGET CORP Quote

This bullish trend is why the stock holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and why we are expecting outperformance from the company in the near term.

Bottom Line

Target is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. Boasting a good industry rank (top 18% out of more than 250 industries) and a favorable Zacks Rank, the company deserves attention right now. So, it might pay for value investors to delve deeper into the company’s prospects, as fundamentals indicate that this stock could be a compelling pick.

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