Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. Lowers Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. decreased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 69,507 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,792 shares during the period. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD.’s holdings in Target were worth $9,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 156.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target during the third quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Target stock opened at $131.29 on Friday. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $135.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.84. The company has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on TGT. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered their price target on Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Target currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

About Target

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.