Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Spire Wealth Management

Spire Wealth Management lowered its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 70.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,174 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 9,751 shares during the quarter. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in Target were worth $564,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Target by 8.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,530,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Target by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,555,542,000 after buying an additional 1,046,044 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 1.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,414,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,461,456,000 after acquiring an additional 130,691 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 1.9% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,321,055 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $517,620,000 after acquiring an additional 62,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,053,471 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $475,914,000 after acquiring an additional 56,695 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE TGT opened at $135.27 on Thursday. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $135.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $144.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.98 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted 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). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on TGT shares. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. HSBC cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Roth Mkm decreased their target price on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

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.