Advisory Alpha LLC Acquires 96 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Advisory Alpha LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,435 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Little House Capital LLC bought a new position in Target in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,041,000. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of Target by 23.6% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 642,340 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $112,686,000 after acquiring an additional 122,706 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Target by 11.4% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,558 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,690 shares during the period. Janney Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Target in the 1st quarter valued at $13,958,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Target by 864.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 57,613 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,205,000 after purchasing an additional 51,639 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of Target stock opened at $150.40 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $148.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $154.22. The company has a market cap of $69.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $102.93 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa America raised Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.