Vista Capital Partners Inc. Raises Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,096 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 134 shares during the quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth about $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Up 1.7 %

TGT opened at $130.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.57 billion, a PE ratio of 13.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $134.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Target has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

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.