Occidental Asset Management LLC Acquires 1,972 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 20,431 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,972 shares during the period. Occidental Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in Target by 156.5% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $133.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The business’s fifty day moving average is $136.81 and its 200 day moving average is $145.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. HSBC cut 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. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.07.

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.