Davis R M Inc. Has $266,000 Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Davis R M Inc. trimmed its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,965 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 337 shares during the period. Davis R M Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Target by 1.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,368,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Target by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Target by 8.6% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,438,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Down 0.8 %

Target stock opened at $112.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $51.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $111.84 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS 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 given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Target from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Target from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.87.

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.