Private Advisor Group LLC Acquires 3,059 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,335 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,059 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $9,102,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Target by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Target in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $128.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.74. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on TGT shares. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

About Target

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.