Hoxton Planning & Management LLC Purchases Shares of 1,453 Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Hoxton Planning & Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,453 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on TGT. UBS Group dropped their price target on Target from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Citigroup upgraded Target from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Target from $190.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.61.

Target Price Performance

TGT traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.69. 754,003 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,876,616. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.86 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $154.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.11. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $102.93 and a 1-year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $24.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.52 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.91% and a net margin of 3.87%. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.05 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Target’s payout ratio is currently 49.38%.

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.