Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stock Position Lowered by Hamlin Capital Management LLC

Hamlin Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 14.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 736,160 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 126,456 shares during the period. Target makes up 2.5% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $99,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position 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 during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 11.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,555,542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,044 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 worth $1,461,456,000 after purchasing an additional 130,691 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Target by 6.8% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $647,652,000 after purchasing an additional 279,656 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 1.9% during 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 worth $517,620,000 after purchasing an additional 62,916 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of TGT opened at $133.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $136.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.15. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders 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 is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. Citigroup lifted their price target on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Melius Research began coverage on Target in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Target in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.23.

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.