Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 259 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Sentry Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,415 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 259 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $344,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Target by 3,577.5% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 1,431 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its holdings in Target by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $646,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Target by 131.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Target in the 1st quarter worth $208,000. Finally, Ergoteles LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 191.5% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 11,794 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 7,748 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $164.62 on Tuesday. Target Co. has a one year low of $102.93 and a one year high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $76.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $162.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Target from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Target from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.04.

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.