KLCM Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

KLCM Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,262 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 82.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new stake in Target during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. TheStreet raised shares of Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.85.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock traded down $1.69 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $163.32. 3,450,687 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,974,175. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $75.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $162.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Target’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,038,481.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at $6,576,658.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Target 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.