Schear Investment Advisers LLC Acquires 1,882 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Schear Investment Advisers LLC increased its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 122.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,422 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,882 shares during the quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $463,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Target during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its stake in Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Target by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 0.9 %

Target stock opened at $132.44 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $60.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.04, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.67.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on TGT. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.