Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Holdings Raised by Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,482 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,029 shares during the quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 156.5% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target during the third quarter worth about $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $131.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $60.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $135.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.84.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America dropped their price target on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation operates as a general merchandise retailer in the United States. The company offers apparel for women, men, boys, girls, toddlers, and infants and newborns, as well as jewelry, accessories, and shoes; and beauty and personal care, baby gear, cleaning, paper products, and pet supplies.