Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,755 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 346 shares during the period. Target accounts for approximately 1.8% of Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Target by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 price target (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Roth Capital set a $122.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.55.

Target Trading Down 2.8 %

NYSE TGT opened at $105.37 on Wednesday. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $101.76 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $124.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.30. The company has a market capitalization of $48.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.25%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.56%.

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.