Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 55.5% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 38,165 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 47,515 shares during the quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $5,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Target during the first quarter worth $335,870,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 711.2% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $129,762,000 after purchasing an additional 768,479 shares during the period. Focused Investors Fund L P purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 1st quarter worth $125,536,000. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in Target in the 1st quarter valued at about $107,367,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Target by 44.6% in the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,765,496 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $312,864,000 after buying an additional 544,920 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the 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 directly owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded shares of Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. UBS Group upped their price target on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on Target in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They set an “underperform” rating and a $116.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.69.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $155.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $102.93 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $148.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $154.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

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.