MBA FPX 5014 Assessment 3 Financial Engineering to Enhance Shareholder Value MBA-FPX5014 Applied Managerial Finance Financial Engineering to Enhance Shareholder Value – Target Corporation
Overview
Target Corporation, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been in operation since 1962. The company operates retail stores in all 50 states and claims that 75% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a Target store. As a general merchandise retailer, its main competitors include Amazon, Costco, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Dollar General Corporation, with Walmart as its principal competitor. Target is well recognized, with branding that includes its bullseye logo, a bulldog mascot, and a signature red store color that customers identify with even without seeing the Target name (Leinbach-Reyhle, 2014). Known for its “discount-chic” positioning, Target distinguishes itself through excellent service and bright store layouts. The company also boasts a legacy of community support, donating 5% of its profits to strengthen the communities it serves and achieving a perfect score on The Human Rights Campaign’s 2018 Corporate Equality Index (Target, 2021).
Target went public in October 1967 with an initial share price of $34. By the end of 2019, the stock was trading at $130, and in 2021, it reached as high as $188 per share. Notably, Target has paid a dividend every year since 1967 and has consistently raised its dividend for 47 consecutive years (Ballard, 2019). Target has not only managed its operations efficiently but also remained dedicated to enhancing shareholder value. This report will examine strategies used by companies to increase stock prices and evaluate Target’s financial statements to recommend strategies that may enhance its stock price and shareholder value.
Strategies to Increase Stock Prices
Shareholders invest in companies expecting returns through increased share value and dividends. While no specific formula guarantees higher stock prices, management can employ various strategies to enhance profitability and shareholder value. According to experts, there are three key strategies for driving profitability: revenue growth, improving operating margins, and increasing capital efficiency (Shareholder Value, 2020).
Revenue Growth: Companies can grow revenues by increasing sales volumes through expanded marketing, new products, or additional revenue streams. Another approach involves raising sales prices, either as a one-time measure or incrementally over several quarters. A balanced strategy of increasing both sales volume and prices can significantly boost revenue growth.
Improving Operating Margins: Companies can improve their operating margins by controlling costs, such as reducing Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) expenses. Methods to achieve this include negotiating better discounts with suppliers and improving return management systems, along with efficient handling of marketing, payroll, and overhead expenses.
Capital Efficiency: This strategy measures how effectively a company uses its capital, expressed as Return on Capital Employed (ROCE), the ratio of Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) over Capital Employed. A higher ratio indicates more efficient capital use, enhancing shareholder value (Shareholder Value, 2020).
Additional strategies companies may employ to enhance shareholder value include capital expenditures, stock buybacks, dividend policies, debt management, mergers and acquisitions, and geographic or demographic expansion. Target Corporation uses a combination of these strategies to maintain its competitive edge.
Financial Ratio Analysis
A review of Target Corporation’s financial statements and ratios for fiscal years ending February 2018, 2019, and 2020 was conducted to determine which strategies could improve shareholder value. Key ratios compared Target’s performance against its primary competitor, Walmart, and the industry standard.
Current Ratio: The current ratio measures a company’s liquidity and ability to meet short-term obligations. As shown in Table I, Target’s current ratio for the review period is slightly higher than Walmart’s but generally below the industry average of 1, which is acceptable for the retail industry. Despite the lower ratio, Target’s balance sheet indicates