Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC lessened its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,863 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 215 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its position in Target by 156.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $131.29 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $135.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.80.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.70.

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.