Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Position Increased by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 21,495 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 166 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Target were worth $3,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in TGT. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 9,940.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $311,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,458 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in Target in the 1st quarter worth about $335,870,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Target by 711.2% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $129,762,000 after acquiring an additional 768,479 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Target during the 1st quarter worth about $107,367,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in Target by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,153,875 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $558,898,000 after acquiring an additional 470,647 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of TGT opened at $154.99 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $152.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $150.49. The stock has a market cap of $71.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $108.08 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. Target’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s payout ratio is 46.28%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on TGT. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Target in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.47.

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.