Entropy Technologies LP Buys New Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 26,303 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,556,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Target by 87.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 141,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,122,000 after acquiring an additional 66,014 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in 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 last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 542.5% during the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 108,151 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,620,000 after buying an additional 91,318 shares during the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 29.9% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,106 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,637,000 after buying an additional 2,787 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opinicus Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Target by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Opinicus Capital Inc. now owns 8,634 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,167,000 after buying an additional 1,081 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

TGT opened at $131.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $60.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $135.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.84. 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 (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm 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 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Daiwa America downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

About Target

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.