Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Cwm LLC

Cwm LLC lowered its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,284 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,185 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $9,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $142.54 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $155.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $152.63. The stock has a market cap of $65.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.20.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.02). Target had a return on equity of 31.91% and a net margin of 3.87%. The company had revenue of $24.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.05 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.11.

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.