What is the Price Target Median?
The price target median is the middle value of all analyst price targets for a stock. Analysts at investment banks and research firms publish target prices — their estimate of where a stock should trade within the next 12 months. The median gives you the consensus view without being skewed by extreme outliers.
Stock Analyzer compares this median target to the current stock price and expresses it as a percentage. If the median target is $110 and the stock trades at $100, the result is 110% — suggesting analysts expect 10% upside.
Why it matters for investors
Price targets reflect professional analyst expectations for a stock’s near-term direction. While no analyst is consistently right, the consensus view provides useful context alongside fundamental metrics. A stock that looks undervalued by DCF and has analyst targets well above the current price strengthens the case for undervaluation.
However, analyst targets tend to be backward-looking and slow to adjust. They often cluster around recent prices and can lag behind major business changes. Use them as one signal among many, not as a standalone indicator.
How Stock Analyzer scores it
| Score | Target vs. Price | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| A | 110%+ | Analysts see significant upside |
| B | 100% – 110% | Modest upside expected |
| C | 95% – 100% | Roughly fair value |
| D | 90% – 95% | Slight downside expected |
| E | Below 90% | Analysts see meaningful downside |
What to watch out for
Analyst coverage varies widely. Large-cap stocks like Apple might have 40+ analysts, making the median robust. Small-cap stocks might have only 2-3 analysts, making the median less reliable. Also, analysts can be slow to downgrade stocks, so targets often remain optimistic even as fundamentals deteriorate.