Argent Trust Co Has $8.96 Million Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Argent Trust Co increased its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,543 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,963 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Target were worth $8,963,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter worth approximately $335,870,000. Focused Investors Fund L P purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter worth approximately $125,536,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 1st quarter worth approximately $107,367,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 44.6% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,765,496 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $312,864,000 after purchasing an additional 544,920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,153,875 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $558,898,000 after purchasing an additional 470,647 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TGT shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa America raised shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.68.

Target Stock Performance

Target stock opened at $151.97 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $148.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. The stock has a market cap of $70.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.