Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stake Reduced by Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp cut its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,918 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Target were worth $935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Target by 1.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Target by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in shares of Target by 8.6% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,619,000 after purchasing an additional 9,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,438,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $116.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $53.47 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day moving average of $132.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.92. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $112.53 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $148.23.

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.