First Bank & Trust Decreases Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

First Bank & Trust reduced its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 15.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,511 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 278 shares during the quarter. First Bank & Trust’s holdings in Target were worth $204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cynosure Group LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in shares of Target by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its position in shares of Target by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. raised its position in shares of Target by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. now owns 3,460 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $539,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $128.20 on Friday. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.15. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $134.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.49%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.