Question

study a corporation. You can venture into any industry, but the corporation of choice must be one that is a publicly traded company, either on the NYSE, or NASDAQ.

research the financial positions of the corporation that you selected, i.e. Balance Sheet, Income Statements, Cash Flows. Look over Market Value and Book Value, identity investor and stakeholder positions. look at the risks associated to the company and, if applicable, corporate performance in both Bear and Bull markets.

Answer 1

Research the financial positions of the corporation that you selected, i.e. Balance Sheet, Income Statements, Cash Flows. Look over Market Value and Book Value, identity investor and stakeholder positions. look at the risks associated to the company and, if applicable, corporate performance in both Bear and Bull markets.

We have selected ‘Target Corporation’, which is publicly traded company trading on both NYSE & Nasdaq with the Ticker ‘TGT’. The Stock is currently traded at $71.17 on both NYSE & Nasdaq stock exchanges. The current outstanding stock of the company is 521.83 Million shares, of which 521.09 Million shares includes the free float or public share, which makes Target corporation 99.859% public.
The 2017 sales amounted to $71,879 Million as compared to 2016 sales of $69,495 showing an increase of 3.43%, and the Net earnings/income amounting to $2,934 Million by 2017 as compared to $2,737 2016 earnings/income reflecting a 7.2% growth overall. Total Assets amounted to $38,999 Million by 2018 as compared to $37,431 Million by 2017 and $37,431 Million by 2016.
The Common stock figures of the company were 541.7 Million by Feb. 2018 as compared to 556.2 Million in Jan. 2017 and 602.2 Million by Jan. 2016 with respective par values of $45, $46 and $50.
As per the Proxy statements/SCHEDULE 14A - Section 16(a) of beneficial ownership report filed the major shareholders and the company with Securities Exchange Commission, the Share ownership structure of Target Corporation by April, 2018 was:
-   State Street Corporation owning 9.2% (49,308,674) shares of the company.
-   BlackRock, Inc owning 8.3% (44,370,579) shares of the company.
-   The Vanguard Group owning 7.1% (37,823,852) shares of the company.

The major risks associated with the business of the company include the following:
-   Competitive and Reputational Risks,that may be dependent on positive perceptions of the company which, if affected, adversely affects the business and its relationships with the clients and other stakeholders.
-   In case the business doesn’t positively differentiate its operations and services from other retailers, the results of operations could be adversely affected.
-   In case the business doesn’t successfully provide a relevant and reliable experience to its stakeholders, regardless of where the demand is ultimately fulfilled, the sales, results of operations and reputation could be adversely affected.
-   Investments and Infrastructure Risks - If the capital investments in remodeling existing stores, building new stores, and improving technology and supply chain infrastructure do not achieve appropriate returns, the company's competitive position, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
-   Data Security and Privacy Risks - If the company's efforts to protect the security of information about the clients, team members, vendors and other third parties are unsuccessful, the company may face additional costly government enforcement actions and private litigation, and the sales and reputation could suffer.
-   Supply Chain and Third Party Risks - Changes in the relationships with the vendors, changes in tax policy or trade relations, interruptions in the supply chain or increased commodity or supply chain costs could adversely affect the results of operations.
-   Legal, Regulatory, Global and Other External Risks - the earnings depend on the state of macroeconomic conditions and consumer confidence in the United States.

The 5 years stock performance of the company can be provided as: