Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB cut its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 23.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 515,074 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 157,158 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Target were worth $69,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,525 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 74.6% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC now owns 2,716 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 3,317 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jeppson Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Target by 38.5% in the fourth quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $140.28 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $133.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.64. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

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 net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on TGT. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. HSBC lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

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.