MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Lowers Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH trimmed its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 82.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,206 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 20,233 shares during the quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Target were worth $623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Godsey & Gibb Inc. raised its stake in Target by 148.6% during the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 174 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

TGT stock opened at $153.62 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. Target Co. has a one year low of $102.93 and a one year high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.24, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.19.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on TGT. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Target from $209.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.68.

Insider Activity

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.