Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. raised its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,789 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth $38,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 175.3% during 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. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Target by 110.7% in 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 period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on TGT. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $170.00 to $130.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $156.43.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $117.05 on Wednesday. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $112.53 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The company has a market capitalization of $53.63 billion, a PE ratio of 12.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.09.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.83%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

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.