Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stock Holdings Boosted by Joule Financial LLC

Joule Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,559 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Joule Financial LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Target by 6.8% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $647,652,000 after acquiring an additional 279,656 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,316,738 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $639,050,000 after purchasing an additional 440,307 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 17.5% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,153,875 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $558,898,000 after purchasing an additional 470,647 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Target by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,114,400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $461,031,000 after purchasing an additional 435,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Target by 9.7% during the second quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,094,644 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $458,131,000 after purchasing an additional 272,521 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on TGT. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Target from $153.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Bank of America upped their target price on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.69.

Target Stock Down 0.2 %

TGT stock traded down $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $155.59. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 406,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,944,124. The company has a market capitalization of $71.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $151.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $105.23 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

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.