Target Corporation $TGT Shares Sold by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 68.8% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,851 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 56,902 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $2,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Target by 63.4% during the 2nd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 2,530.0% during the second quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 263 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Target during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Target in a report on Monday. Zacks Research lowered Target from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Target from $117.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $93.00 target price (down previously from $105.00) on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.71.

Target Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Target stock opened at $91.92 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a current ratio of 0.99. Target Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $85.36 and a fifty-two week high of $158.42. The company has a market cap of $41.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.19.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 20th. The retailer reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.84 billion. Target had a return on equity of 23.43% and a net margin of 3.72%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Target has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.12. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.15%.

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.