Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. Acquires 2,029 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 22,482 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,029 shares during the quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,039,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew 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 buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 175.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa America lowered shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. StockNews.com raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Roth Mkm dropped their target price on Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

Target Price Performance

TGT opened at $131.29 on Friday. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $135.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.84.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

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.