Foster & Motley Inc. Raises Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 41.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 32,474 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 9,440 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $4,390,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Target by 54.3% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,052 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,080,000 after purchasing an additional 4,944 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Farmers National Bank grew its stake in shares of Target by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Farmers National Bank now owns 21,865 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,237,000 after acquiring an additional 845 shares during the period. Brown Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Target in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,486,000. Finally, Creekside Partners bought a new stake in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $343,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $140.28 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.88, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on TGT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America dropped their target price on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

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.