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Looking up the ticker with the regulator···
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Target Corporation
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Weak signals across every dimension
1 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Stable quality
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
2/3
Efficiency
1/2
Valuation is the clearest argument here: EV/EBITDA of 9.0× sits -36% below the sector median 14.0×, and P/B of 3.7× is -33% below the median 5.5× — two multiples that price the stock well below peers. The F-Score of 6/9 out of 6 signals stable but unspectacular financial health, and the composite of 45/100 against the sector median reflects weak quality and growth readings that temper the valuation case. Revenue grew -1.7% year over year, trailing the sector median 2.3% by -174%, while FCF growth of -32.3% lags the median -1.0% by -3,091%. The forward picture carries a nuance: consensus models a recovery, and the realized three-year EPS CAGR per SEC filings — {{value:eps_cagr_3y}} — has actually run ahead of what analysts had expected, a rare case where the pessimistic tilt in consensus may have understated the track record.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | Colgate-Palmolive | 5/9 | 1 603% |
Quarter-by-quarter classification · a retrospective read by the current logic · not a price forecast
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. The method did not see these quarters in real time; this is the current logic applied to past reports.
A simplified retrospective read: no analyst forecast (not available historically); the source is the annual report as of the date, so neighbouring quarters can rest on the same data. Quarters with the same classification in a row are merged into one row — each row is one change in the read, not a separate quarter. One ticker is an illustration of the classification logic, not statistics. How we calculate →
The market prices in earnings growth; analyst sentiment is steady.
Price against next year's expected earnings. The forward P/E already carries analyst optimism — read it alongside the “Versus consensus” line.
A forward P/E below the current one means the market expects earnings to grow; above it, to fall. The historical growth is realized figures from SEC filings, not a forecast.
The three-month change in the share of positive analyst ratings. This is sentiment, not an earnings-estimate revision, and not a call to act.
When Target reports on August 19, focus on whether revenue growth year over year moves above its current 2.25% — well below the Consumer Staples sector median. Also check whether free cash flow turns positive after the -1.01% reading, and whether the F-Score profitability block (currently 3/4) holds or slips.
In the annual report, find management's discussion of gross margin pressure and capital allocation — both bear on the weak FCF growth. Cross-reference the leverage and liquidity section against the current ratio of 0.83, which sits only 13% above the sector median and leaves limited buffer.
In the same-sector table in section 06, pick two or three companies yourself and line up a single metric — EV/EBITDA or P/B are useful starting points given Target's readings of 14.0× and 5.50×, each roughly a third below the sector median. The table is alphabetical with no ranking, so the comparison is yours to draw.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: -130%+353%+17%-37%
Over 4 years: 2.161.661.631.75
Over 4 years: +3%-2%-1%-2%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 6 of 8 recent quarters — the company clears estimates regularly (consensus is often set conservatively).
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| +1% |
| 16% |
| COST | Costco | 7/9 | 31% | +8% | 4% |
| GIS | General Mills | 5/9 | -1% | +308% | 5% |
| HSY | Hershey | 5/9 | 19% | +4% | 12% |
| KMB | Kimberly-Clark | 5/9 | 173% | -2% | 14% |
| KO | Coca-Cola | 7/9 | 46% | +2% | 29% |
| KR | Kroger | 6/9 | 14% | +0% | 1% |
| MDLZ | Mondelez | 6/9 | 9% | +6% | 9% |
| MO | Altria | 6/9 | — | -3% | 43% |
| PEP | PepsiCo | 5/9 | 43% | +2% | 12% |
| PG | Procter & Gamble | 6/9 | 31% | +0% | 24% |
| PM | Philip Morris | 8/9 | — | +7% | 37% |
| SYY | Sysco | 6/9 | 99% | +3% | 4% |
| TGT | Target Corporation | 6/9 | 24% | -2% | 5% |
| WMT | Walmart | 7/9 | 23% | +5% | 4% |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
A description of what the market and analysts expect. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. Analyst forecasts run systematically optimistic over long horizons — read them with that discount.