Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Sigma Planning Corp

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 66.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,000 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,847 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Target were worth $570,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of TGT. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 15,009.5% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,757,088 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $250,244,000 after acquiring an additional 1,745,459 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 37,301.2% during the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,698,764 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $187,832,000 after purchasing an additional 1,694,222 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 26.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,762,227 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $747,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,415,900 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 56.3% during the 3rd quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,839,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $313,925,000 after purchasing an additional 1,022,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at about $87,075,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $165.37 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $164.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.46. The company has a market cap of $76.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on TGT shares. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. 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 note on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,038,481.35. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were 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 directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.