Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lifted its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 135,651 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,060 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Target were worth $19,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of TGT. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC grew its position in Target by 106.6% during the third quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its stake in Target by 42.0% in the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 467,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $51,602,000 after purchasing an additional 138,448 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its holdings in Target by 132.1% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,272 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Target by 22.6% during the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,424 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Target during the third quarter worth $314,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of TGT stock traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $166.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,889,685 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,736,716. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $102.93 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.14.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at $6,576,658.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on TGT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Target from $183.00 to $180.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Gordon Haskett lifted their price objective on Target from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $140.00 to $195.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

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.