Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Sells 270 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P cut its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 46.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 270 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Target were worth $42,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Nicholas Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,485 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 144.9% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,699,000 after buying an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,459,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of Target by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,566,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 0.7 %

TGT stock opened at $104.34 on Tuesday. Target Co. has a one year low of $100.50 and a one year high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $47.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $122.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.08. 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 (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.29%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price objective on Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $122.00 price objective on Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.40.

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.