Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 556,950 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,535 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Target worth $75,285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,885,015 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,332,317,000 after acquiring an additional 470,990 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth $757,892,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Target by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,832,585 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $518,089,000 after buying an additional 234,409 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Target by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,144,828 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $425,118,000 after buying an additional 91,357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at $297,122,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $95.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.73. The company has a market cap of $43.60 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $90.62 and a 1-year high of $173.05.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS 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 paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on TGT. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Citigroup reduced 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Target from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $140.24.

Target Company 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.