Company Update (NYSE:TGT): U.S. conservative group boycotts Target over transgender policy

[Reuters] – The conservative American Family Association is urging its members to boycott Target Corp for the retailer’s decision to allow transgender employees and customers to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. The group accused Target of exposing women and girls to voyeurs and sexual predators with its restroom and dressing room policy, and said it had gathered 172,494 signatures on a boycott petition by mid-morning on Friday. Target’s policy “means a man can simply say he feels like a woman today and enter the women’s restroom … this is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims,” AFA said on its website. Read more on this. Target Corp. (TGT) , valued at $49.40B, opened this morning at $82.89. Shares have traded today between $82.15 and $83.13 per share with a trailing 52-week range being $66.46 to $85.81. Priced at 15.70x this year’s forecasted earnings, TGT shares are relatively expensive compared to the industry’s 13.46x forward p/e ratio. And for passive income investors, the company pays shareholders $2.24 per share annually in dividends, yielding 2.67%. According to a consensus of 22 analysts, the earnings estimate of $1.20 per share would be $0.10 better than the year-ago quarter and a $0.00 sequential decrease. What we find to be interesting is that the full-year EPS estimate of $5.27 is a $0.58 improvement when compared to the previous year’s annual results. The quarterly earnings estimate is predicated on a consensus revenue forecast of $16.32 Billion. If reported, that would be a 4.67% decrease over the year-ago quarter. More recently, Barclays downgraded TGT from Overweight to Underweight (Mar 31, 2016). Previously, Citigroup Initiated TGT at to Buy. Given all the information above, we should disclose to readers that the average price target is $83.20, which is 0.37% above than it opened this morning. See more in (NYSE:TGT) Similar Articles: Company Update (NYSE:TGT): Target Corporation Announces Pricing of Pending Maximum Tender Offers Stock Update: Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) – Target Corporation Declares Regular Quarterly Dividend Stock Update: Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) – CVS Health and Target Announce Completed Acquisition of Target’s Pharmacy and Clinic Businesses