Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stock Holdings Lessened by RB Capital Management LLC

RB Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 25.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,431 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 809 shares during the quarter. RB Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $346,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Target by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,527,706 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,923,428,000 after purchasing an additional 702,565 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Target by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,762,227 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $747,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,415,900 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Target by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,146,067 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $569,001,000 after purchasing an additional 134,262 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in Target by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 3,569,969 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $394,739,000 after purchasing an additional 287,748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Target by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,168 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $383,586,000 after purchasing an additional 127,491 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Insider Transactions at Target

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

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $157.20 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $72.73 billion, a PE ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.27%.

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.