Atlas Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Atlas Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 59.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,459 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,664 shares during the quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $364,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of TGT. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Godsey & Gibb Inc. raised its position in Target by 148.6% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 174 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Target by 56.1% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Group LLC lifted its stake in Target by 85.0% in the first quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 198 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Target Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of TGT stock traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $153.62. 3,884,328 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,042,306. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $147.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.86. The company has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.19. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 31.91%. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on TGT shares. StockNews.com raised Target from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.