Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Visionary Horizons LLC

Visionary Horizons LLC lessened its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,670 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Visionary Horizons LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $766,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in Target by 1.8% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares during the last quarter. Prana Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Target by 47.5% in the third quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,834,000 after acquiring an additional 69,885 shares during the period. Finally, Polianta Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Target by 39.2% during the fourth quarter. Polianta Ltd now owns 10,300 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $131.29 on Friday. 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 50 day moving average price is $135.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.84. The company has a market cap of $60.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on TGT. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price for the company. in a report 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 an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

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.