Peddock Capital Advisors LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Peddock Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,188 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,835,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 56.1% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Target by 0.6% during the first quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,909,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 20.8% during the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Target by 5.3% during the second quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Haverford Trust Co lifted its holdings in Target by 0.3% during the first quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 27,472 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,868,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Target stock traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $150.47. The company had a trading volume of 431,865 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,974,177. The company’s 50-day moving average is $149.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.60. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $105.23 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $69.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on TGT. StockNews.com raised shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Target in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.69.

Insider Activity at Target

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by 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.