Larson Financial Group LLC Increases Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 44.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,043 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,174 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Target by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 28,741 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,093,000 after purchasing an additional 12,460 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $812,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Target by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,983 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 3,655 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC raised its holdings in Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,715 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,873,399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $409,230,000 after purchasing an additional 125,489 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.68.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $152.48 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.54 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.19. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Target Company Profile

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.