Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stock Position Lowered by Captrust Financial Advisors

Captrust Financial Advisors trimmed its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 144,634 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 670 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in Target were worth $19,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nicholas Company Inc. boosted its position in Target by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,544,000 after acquiring an additional 9,485 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 138,751 shares during the period. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC grew its position in Target by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 14,354 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 3,231 shares in the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,459,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Target by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,430,000 after buying an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of TGT opened at $93.69 on Wednesday. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $87.35 and a 52 week high of $167.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is 50.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Cfra Research downgraded Target from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Baird R W lowered shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $132.37.

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.