Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 318.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 364,381 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 277,403 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Target were worth $49,257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $142.44 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $65.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $134.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $144.79.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on TGT. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.57.

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.