HTLF Bank Invests $509,000 in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

HTLF Bank bought a new position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,571 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $509,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position in shares of Target by 3,577.5% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,471 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 1,431 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in shares of Target by 3.3% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,045 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $646,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Target by 131.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the first quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Ergoteles LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 191.5% in the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 11,794 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 7,748 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,115,870.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Target Trading Up 1.0 %

TGT opened at $168.30 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $163.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $140.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $102.93 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Target from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $149.00 to $206.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.85.

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.