Advocate Group LLC Purchases 3,734 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Advocate Group LLC lifted its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,216 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,734 shares during the period. Target accounts for about 1.6% of Advocate Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Advocate Group LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $8,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its stake in Target by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its position in Target by 1.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $894,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in shares of Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in shares of Target by 0.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Target by 1.1% during the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $137.99 on Friday. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.23 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50 day moving average is $134.37 and its 200-day moving average is $144.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TGT shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Target from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, HSBC cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.57.

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.