Shares of Target Corp. TGT fell $3.60, or 2.2%, in morning trading Thursday, after the discount retailer was one-upped by rival Walmart Inc.’s WMT full-year earnings outlook. Target’s stock had climbed $4.05, or 2.6%, on Wednesday, after the company beat fiscal first-quarter earnings expectations but provided a downbeat second-quarter outlook. Meanwhile, Walmart’s stock rose $1.44, or 1.0%, on Thursday after the retailer also beat first-quarter results while providing a downbeat Q2 outlook. The difference, Walmart raised its full-year profit outlook while Target just reiterated its profit guidance. Target’s stock has dropped 9.2% over the past three months while Walmart shares have gained 3.1% and the S&P 500 has tacked on 2.5%. Technically speaking, Target’s stock is trading below both its 50-day moving average ($160.17, according to FactSet), which is viewed as a short-term trend tracker, and its 200-day moving average ($161.33), which many see as a dividing line between longer-term uptrends and downtrends. Meanwhile, Walmart’s stock is above both its 50-day ($147.47) and 200-day (141.88) moving averages. The S&P 500 SPX is also above both its 50-day (4,067.82) and 200-day (3,975.48) moving averages.
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