White Pine Capital LLC Boosts Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

White Pine Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,127 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Target makes up approximately 1.0% of White Pine Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. White Pine Capital LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,856,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Target in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 175.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Friday, January 17th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.70.

Target Stock Performance

TGT opened at $128.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $58.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. The business’s fifty day moving average is $135.20 and its 200-day moving average is $143.44.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 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 the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS 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 issued 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 yield of 3.48%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.