Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Bought by Waycross Partners LLC

Waycross Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 10.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 122,435 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,945 shares during the quarter. Target accounts for 2.8% of Waycross Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $18,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $759,810,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $335,870,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,683,228 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $382,145,000 after buying an additional 984,464 shares during the period. Focused Investors Fund L P purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the first quarter valued at approximately $125,536,000. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Target during the first quarter worth $107,367,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Up 2.0 %

TGT opened at $151.36 on Monday. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The business has a 50-day moving average of $148.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. Target’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,114,173.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their target price on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “inline” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.68.

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.