Ballentine Partners LLC Buys 683 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,590 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of TGT. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 56.1% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lifted its position in Target by 0.6% during the first quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,909,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Target by 5.3% in the second quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $203,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in Target by 0.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Target in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on Target in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.47.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Target stock opened at $151.16 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $153.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $105.23 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $69.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Target 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.