2,207 Shares in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Bought by Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD.

Whitaker Myers Wealth Managers LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,207 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Target by 8.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,530,576,000 after buying an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Target by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,044 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Target by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,414,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,461,456,000 after purchasing an additional 130,691 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Target by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $647,652,000 after purchasing an additional 279,656 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Target by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,321,055 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $517,620,000 after purchasing an additional 62,916 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $133.62 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $136.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.14. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business 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 business earned $2.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on TGT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price target on Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.23.

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.