Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stake Increased by Horizon Investments LLC

Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,292 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 518 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,338,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cynosure Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 4.3% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its holdings in Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 1.0% in the third quarter. Cahill Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 7,490 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 2.5% in the third quarter. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,100 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $104.55 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $127.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $138.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $47.63 billion, a PE ratio of 11.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $103.46 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.29%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $145.87.

Target Company 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.