Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Sells 181 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,479 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 181 shares during the quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Target by 56.1% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Target by 0.6% in the first quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,909,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 20.8% during the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 5.3% during the second quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,130 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,114,173.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $148.05 on Wednesday. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $147.78 and a 200 day moving average of $155.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on TGT shares. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Robert W. Baird reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “inline” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.68.

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.