Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $8.17 Million Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 20.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,394 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,066 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Target were worth $8,174,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,261,876 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $179,716,000 after purchasing an additional 27,641 shares during the last quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at $1,231,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at $3,974,000. Northstar Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Northstar Asset Management LLC now owns 5,305 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 200.8% in the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 361 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $163.31 on Wednesday. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $102.93 and a 12-month high of $181.86. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $75.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $162.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.17.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 49.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on TGT. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Target from $176.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.85.

About Target

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.