Avior Wealth Management LLC Sells 269 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Avior Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,155 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 269 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in Target by 3,577.5% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its stake in shares of Target by 3.3% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,045 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Target by 131.7% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 1st quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Ergoteles LLC boosted its stake in Target by 191.5% in the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 11,794 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,503,000 after purchasing an additional 7,748 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $166.58 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $163.25 and its 200 day moving average is $140.52. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $76.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.85.

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.