Optas LLC Purchases 165 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Optas LLC lifted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,935 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 165 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Target by 56.1% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new stake in Target in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 156.5% during the 3rd 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. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Target stock opened at $150.84 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $153.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $69.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $105.23 and a 1 year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995 over the last ninety days. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Bank of America raised their target price on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Daiwa America raised Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.47.

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.