Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc.

Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,514 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,830 shares during the quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. State Street Corp grew its position in Target by 8.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 9,940.6% in the 3rd 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. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in Target by 173.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,369,400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $369,295,000 after buying an additional 1,502,200 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Target by 11.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,555,542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 711.2% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,762,000 after buying an additional 768,479 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE TGT opened at $133.62 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $136.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. HSBC lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.23.

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.