UMB Bank n.a. Cuts Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

UMB Bank n.a. lessened its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 38.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,683 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,306 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Target by 1.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Target by 8.6% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares in the last quarter. Prana Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Target by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,834,000 after acquiring an additional 69,885 shares during the last quarter. Leibman Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth $2,272,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at about $967,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, HSBC lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.23.

Target Price Performance

Target stock opened at $133.62 on Tuesday. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day moving average is $136.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.15.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders 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 is presently 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.