Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 8.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,374 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $500,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riverview Trust Co increased its position in shares of Target by 3.9% in the third quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 2,501 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $390,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Generate Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter worth $8,689,000. Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,289,000. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Target by 7.8% in the third quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,199 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Stratos Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 2.1% during the third quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 4,237 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $660,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on TGT. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares in the company, 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 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Target Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $149.19 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $152.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $152.26. The company has a market cap of $69.02 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $105.23 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.