Independent Advisor Alliance Has $4.25 Million Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Independent Advisor Alliance lessened its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,419 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,830 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Target were worth $4,247,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Target by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of 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. bought a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter worth about $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Target by 8.6% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,619,000 after purchasing an additional 9,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,438,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

TGT stock opened at $112.88 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $131.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.74. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $111.84 and a 12 month high of $181.86. 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 firm has a market cap of $51.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.97%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TGT. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.