Ellsworth Advisors LLC Takes $4.86 Million Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Ellsworth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 35,945 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,859,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 56.5% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,228 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 5,137 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 45.4% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 2,860 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ grew its holdings in shares of Target by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 91,409 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,532,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Target by 15.4% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 36,052 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,337,000 after acquiring an additional 4,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Target by 39.9% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 27,535 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,076,000 after acquiring an additional 7,860 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. HSBC lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Daiwa America lowered shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.23.

Target Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of TGT opened at $133.62 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $136.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.14. The stock has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.51%.

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.