6,164 Shares in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Acquired by Sovran Advisors LLC

Sovran Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,164 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $841,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of TGT. State Street Corp raised its position in Target by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732,801 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 11.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after buying an additional 1,046,044 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,414,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,461,456,000 after buying an additional 130,691 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 1.9% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,321,055 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $517,620,000 after buying an additional 62,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Target by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,053,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $475,914,000 after acquiring an additional 56,695 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa America downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $157.70.

Target Stock Up 0.9 %

TGT stock opened at $132.44 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. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $135.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.67. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

About Target

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.