Pflug Koory LLC Acquires 128 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Pflug Koory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,098 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Target accounts for approximately 1.0% of Pflug Koory LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Pflug Koory LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,906,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Target by 1.8% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Target by 8.6% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares in the last quarter. Prana Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Target by 47.5% in the 3rd quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,834,000 after purchasing an additional 69,885 shares during the last quarter. Polianta Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 39.2% in the 4th quarter. Polianta Ltd now owns 10,300 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares during the period. Finally, Leibman Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,272,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.57.

Target Trading Up 0.5 %

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 P/E ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day moving average is $134.66 and its 200 day moving average is $144.89. 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 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). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

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.