True North Advisors LLC Boosts Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

True North Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,112 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. True North Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Janney Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 104,324 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,103,000 after purchasing an additional 17,373 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Target by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 67,162 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,079,000 after buying an additional 5,228 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,759,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. Finally, XML Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. XML Financial LLC now owns 3,026 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $135.74 on Thursday. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $135.37 and its 200-day moving average is $145.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business 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 $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. Roth Mkm lowered their price objective on Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.57.

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.