Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV

Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV decreased its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,265 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 230 shares during the quarter. Townsend Asset Management Corp NC ADV’s holdings in Target were worth $306,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Target by 8.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after buying an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter worth about $297,122,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in Target by 173.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,369,400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $369,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502,200 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Target by 11.7% in the third 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. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 773.1% in the third quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 832,766 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,795,000 after buying an additional 737,384 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on TGT shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on shares of Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $148.23.

Target Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $116.70 on Thursday. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $112.53 and a 52 week high of $181.86. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $132.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.84%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

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.