Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,755 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 346 shares during the quarter. Target makes up 1.8% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised 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 acquiring an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 11.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,414,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,461,456,000 after purchasing an additional 130,691 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Target by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,832,585 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $518,089,000 after purchasing an additional 234,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 1.9% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,321,055 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $517,620,000 after purchasing an additional 62,916 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of TGT opened at $105.37 on Wednesday. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $101.76 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.17, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $124.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.30.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $30.92 billion for 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.25%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 target price (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.55.

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.