National Pension Service Raises Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

National Pension Service boosted its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 801,142 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 17,581 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Target were worth $114,099,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. United Services Automobile Association boosted its position in Target by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 44,232 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,891,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $605,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 82.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Target by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 519,634 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $73,819,000 after acquiring an additional 24,066 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 109.9% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 27,267 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,883,000 after acquiring an additional 14,274 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

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

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT traded down $0.82 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $159.59. 2,574,589 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,675,110. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business’s fifty day moving average is $166.79 and its 200-day moving average is $145.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. Target Co. has a one year low of $102.93 and a one year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.76%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet raised shares of Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $174.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Target currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Target 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.