Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Sawgrass Asset Management LLC

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,432 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 821 shares during the period. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Target by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after buying an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in Target by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after buying an additional 1,046,044 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Target by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,414,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,461,456,000 after buying an additional 130,691 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Target by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,321,055 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $517,620,000 after buying an additional 62,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Target by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,053,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $475,914,000 after purchasing an additional 56,695 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.70.

Target Stock Down 3.7 %

TGT opened at $127.50 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $135.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $58.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.