SJS Investment Consulting Inc. Sells 150 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

SJS Investment Consulting Inc. decreased its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 11.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,157 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on TGT shares. Mizuho cut their price target on Target from $92.00 to $88.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Guggenheim cut their target price on Target from $155.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Target from $112.00 to $103.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total transaction of $4,328,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 246,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,703,849.54. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $97.36 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $44.24 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $95.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.89. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $87.35 and a 12-month high of $167.40.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $24.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.54 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.60%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.23%.

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.