First National Advisers LLC Reduces Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

First National Advisers LLC cut its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,120 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 996 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,233,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at $36,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Target by 110.7% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $104.71 on Monday. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $103.46 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $47.70 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $129.35 and a 200 day moving average of $139.63.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.87.

Target Company 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.