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Target's Financial Analysis

725 Words3 Pages

Due to the business model of Walmart, in general, they continue to have lower expenses related to selling, general and administrative. Target has prided itself on the value they bring with exceptional customer service, with store that are basic, and only offer the bare necessities. Walmart however, focuses on its low cost offerings, and lacks in such service or décor. This shows in the financial statements where SG&A is 20.60% of sales revenue for Target, while Walmart brings costs down to approximately 18.75%. Walmart is able to operate with less employees working in the stores that have lower salaries, and lower expenses related to operating each store. For example, one detail that many might notice is Target’s stores are well lit compared …show more content…

While Target’s stock price was higher, when it continued to increase, Walmart’s stock price would increase, vice versa. They also followed the same trend as the S&P 500. However, it’s around 2004 where there is a change in that as Target’s stock price continued to rise, Walmart’s stock price declined and going against the S&P 500 trend. However, with the financial crises starting in 2007, Target’s stock prices declined rapidly resulting from a decline of sales revenue. During this time, Walmart’s stock price had an inverse relationship and grew continuously starting in 2007, once again, going against the trend of Target and S&P 500. This shows that when more families continued to struggle through the recession, they switched to Walmart, feeling they could get more value out of their money. While Target claims they have similar products to Walmart as the same price, the first instinct for individuals is usually to think about how Walmart is known for their good value. Target claimed that it started cutting prices to match Walmart on products that were available from both stores. For many individuals, this is something that could have been unknown. The upscale approach that Target takes in their business model clouds the judgment of the value they could be getting at

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