Company Description: Target Corp. operates nearly 1,800 Target, SuperTarget and CityTarget general merchandise stores across the U.S.
Fair Value: In calculating fair value, I consider the NPV MMA Differential Fair Value along with these four calculations of fair value, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
1. Avg. High Yield Price
2. 20-Year DCF Price
3. Avg. P/E Price
4. Graham Number
TGT is trading at a discount to only 1.) above. When also considering the NPV MMA Differential, the stock is trading at a slight premium to its calculated fair value of $67.85. TGT did not earn any Stars in this section.
Dividend Analytical Data: In this section there are three possible Stars and three key metrics, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
1. Free Cash Flow Payout
2. Debt To Total Capital
3. Key Metrics
4. Dividend Growth Rate
5. Years of Div. Growth
6. Rolling 4-yr Div. > 15%
TGT earned one Star in this section for 3.) above. TGT earned a Star for having an acceptable score in at least two of the four Key Metrics measured. The company has paid a cash dividend to shareholders every year since 1965 and has increased its dividend payments for 49 consecutive years.
Dividend Income vs. MMA: Why would you assume the equity risk and invest in a dividend stock if you could earn a better return in a much less risky money market account (MMA) or Treasury bond? This section compares the earning ability of this stock with a high yield MMA. Two items are considered in this section, see page 2 of the linked PDF for a detailed description:
1. NPV MMA Diff.
2. Years to > MMA
TGT earned a Star in this section for its NPV MMA Diff. of the $709. This amount is in excess of the $500 target I look for in a stock that has increased dividends as long as TGT has. The stock's current yield of 3.25% exceeds the 2.19% estimated 20-year average MMA rate.
Peers: The company's peer group includes: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) with a 2.9% yield, Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) with a 1.3% yield and Family Dollar Stores (FDO) with a 1.6% yield.
Conclusion: TGT did not earn any Stars in the Fair Value section, earned one Star in the Dividend Analytical Data section and earned one Star in the Dividend Income vs. MMA section for a total of two Stars. This quantitatively ranks TGT as a 2-Star Weak stock.
Using my D4L-PreScreen.xls model, I determined the share price would need to increase to $79.41 before TGT's NPV MMA Differential decreased to the $500 minimum that I look for in a stock with 49 years of consecutive dividend increases. At that price the stock would yield 2.8%.
Resetting the D4L-PreScreen.xls model and solving for the dividend growth rate needed to generate the target $500 NPV MMA Differential, the calculated rate is 2.2%. This dividend growth rate is well below the 3.7% used in this analysis, thus providing a margin of safety. TGT has a risk rating of 1.25 which classifies it as a Medium risk stock.
TGT has produced fairly consistent earnings and cash flows over the last decade. The impact of 2014's data breach has diminished. However, the company seems to find a way to stay in the press. Its most recent announcement that it will allow men to use the women's restrooms and dressing rooms in their stores based on the gender that they identify with has stirred up much controversy and a boycott headed by the American Family Association. TGT is trading above my fair value price of $67.85.
Disclaimer: Material presented here is for informational purposes only. The above quantitative stock analysis, including the Star rating, is mechanically calculated and is based on historical information. The analysis assumes the stock will perform in the future as it has in the past. This is generally never true. Before buying or selling any stock you should do your own research and reach your own conclusion. See my Disclaimer for more information.
Full Disclosure: At the time of this writing, I held no position in TGT (0.0% of my Income Portfolio) and was long in WMT. See a list of all my Dividend Growth Portfolio holdings here.
Related Articles:
- HCP, Inc. (HCP) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Genuine Parts Company (GPC) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Colgate-Palmolive (CL) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) Dividend Stock Analysis
- Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Dividend Stock Analysis
- More Stock Analysis
Tags: TGT, WMT, COST, FDO,