Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lifted its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 13.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 379,976 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,976 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $51,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Target by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on TGT. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.70.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $131.29 on Friday. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $135.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

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

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.