Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Holdings Lifted by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,577 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target by 56.5% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,228 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,106,000 after buying an additional 5,137 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 45.4% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 2,860 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its position in Target by 0.4% during the second quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 91,409 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,532,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Target by 15.4% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 36,052 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,337,000 after purchasing an additional 4,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Target by 39.9% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 27,535 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,076,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $133.62 on Monday. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $136.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $61.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 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 the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Target in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.23.

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.