Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV Raises Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 28,895 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in Target were worth $4,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its holdings in Target by 6.2% during the third quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,874 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust boosted its position in Target by 3.9% during the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 35,185 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,484,000 after acquiring an additional 1,323 shares during the last quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Target by 36.7% during the third quarter. M&R Capital Management Inc. now owns 451 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Jacobs & Co. CA raised its stake in Target by 5.3% during the third quarter. Jacobs & Co. CA now owns 21,138 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,294,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060 shares during the period. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Target during the second quarter worth approximately $2,681,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Down 0.5 %

TGT opened at $149.59 on Friday. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $102.93 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $149.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.79, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.19 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. Target’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 value of $997,715.16. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Citigroup lifted 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. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Target from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “inline” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.69.

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.