Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by Leavell Investment Management Inc.

Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,637 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 979 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $897,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. State Street Corp raised its stake in Target by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732,801 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Target by 9,940.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $311,937,000 after buying an additional 1,981,458 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Target by 173.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,369,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $369,295,000 after buying an additional 1,502,200 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Target by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after buying an additional 1,046,044 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Target by 773.1% in the 3rd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 832,766 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,795,000 after buying an additional 737,384 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $128.72 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $135.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.44. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $58.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Hsbc Global Res cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Daiwa America cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.70.

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.