GM Advisory Group LLC Lowers Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

GM Advisory Group LLC cut its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,691 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 802 shares during the period. GM Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Target by 1.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,368,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,544,000 after buying an additional 9,485 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Target by 144.9% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,699,000 after acquiring an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its holdings in shares of Target by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,430,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,566,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $104.81 on Thursday. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $103.46 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $127.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.27%. Target’s payout ratio is 50.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price target on Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $145.87.

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.