Target (TGT 2.17%) has been struggling to win over investors in recent years. Many have opted for its larger rival, Walmart, instead, with its grocery business offering greater stability. With consumers pulling back on discretionary spending, Target's stock hasn't made for a compelling investing.
Recently, however, that may have changed. Not only did the company release some strong earnings numbers, but it also boosted its guidance. Here's what you need to know about the business and the retail stock right now.
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Target may be due for some much stronger growth ahead
Last week, Target released its first-quarter earnings for the period ending May 2. Net sales totaled $25.4 billion and were up nearly 7% year over year. It was a strong showing for the company as it said the growth was broad across many categories, a positive sign that consumer demand is strengthening. For investors, the encouraging sign was that the business beat on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue was only projected to the $24.6 billion. On the bottom line, Target did particularly well as its earnings per share of $1.71 was well ahead of the $1.46 in per-share profit that analysts were projecting.
The great news for investors came with the company raising its guidance while also being cautious. It's not often that you see a company doing both, as being cautious can often reflect a fairly timid guidance. The company now expects its net sales growth for the year to be around 4%, which is a couple of percentage points higher than its previous forecast. The outlook may have been even stronger, however, if not for the uncertainty in the economy, with CEO Michael Fiddelke saying that the company is "maintaining a cautious outlook given the work we know we have in front of us."
NYSE: TGT
Key Data Points
The stock is rallying and could be due for even greater gains
Since the start of the year, Target's stock has risen by more than 28%. However, with it struggling in previous years, its valuation remains fairly modest; Target's stock is trading at less than 17 times its trailing earnings, which is far lower than the S&P 500 average of 26.
In light of the company's encouraging performance and outlook, it wouldn't be surprising to see Target's stock continue to rise higher in the weeks and months ahead. With it also paying a fairly high dividend of 3.6%, it can make for a terrific stock to add to your portfolio right now.
