Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Lowers Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lessened its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,425 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 367 shares during the quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Cynosure Group LLC increased its holdings in Target by 4.3% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Target by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in Target by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in Target by 0.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Target by 1.1% in the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $137.82 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $63.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.16. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $144.41. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week 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.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted 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). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.10 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, HSBC cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.