Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Bought by Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,094,644 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 272,521 shares during the period. Target makes up approximately 2.0% of Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned 0.67% of Target worth $458,131,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 56.1% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. grew its holdings in Target by 0.6% during the first quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Target by 20.8% during the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,130 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

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

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $151.36 on Friday. Target Co. has a one year low of $102.93 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $69.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.99, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $148.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.04.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “inline” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Target from $209.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Target in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $116.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $190.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.