Trust Investment Advisors Purchases 188 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Trust Investment Advisors raised its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,179 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 188 shares during the quarter. Trust Investment Advisors’ holdings in Target were worth $1,063,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Target during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Target by 56.1% during the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Target during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Retirement Group LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 85.0% in the first quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 198 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of TGT opened at $156.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $72.41 billion, a PE ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $148.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $155.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The business had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $209.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.68.

Insider Activity at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was 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 directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.