Dive Summary:

• Target Corp's earnings per share for the fourth quarter were lowered 18 cents by start-up expenses and other costs from its Canadian expansion, but the company still reported fourth quarter net earnings Wednesday of $961 million, or $1.47 per share, compared to $1.45 per share for the same period last year.
• The net earnings were down from $981 million last year, which Reuters pinned on an uncertain economy limiting shoppers' discretionary spending and the disappointing showing for the company's gift collection collaboration with Neiman Marcus.
• Target forecasts earnings per share increases for both the first quarter and fiscal 2013.

From the article:

... The company reported fourth quarter net earnings of $961 million, or $1.47 per share, compared with $1.45 per share for the same period last year. Adjusted earnings per share, a measure the company believes is useful in providing period-to-period comparisons of the results of its U.S. operations, were $1.65 in fourth quarter 2012, up 10.1% from $1.49 in 2011. ...