Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 444,954 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,185 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Target were worth $60,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nicholas Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,485 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its position in Target by 144.9% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,699,000 after buying an additional 138,751 shares during the period. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $6,459,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised 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 worth $2,430,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth about $1,566,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.40.

Target Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $103.63 on Friday. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $101.76 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $47.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $122.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. On average, analysts predict 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 Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

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.