Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Short Interest Up 25.3% in March

Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 14,430,000 shares, a growth of 25.3% from the February 28th total of 11,520,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,410,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $142.90.

Target Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE TGT opened at $105.84 on Thursday. Target has a one year low of $99.67 and a one year high of $177.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $48.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $121.12 and its 200-day moving average is $135.54.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 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 net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Institutional Trading of Target

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in Target by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,603,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank increased its position in shares of Target by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 445 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Target by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.