Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,958,365 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 85,251 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Target worth $6,077,472,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. Guggenheim upped their target price on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.55.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $104.29 on Monday. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $101.76 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.93. The firm has a market cap of $47.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. 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 Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

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.