Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stake Lifted by Cidel Asset Management Inc.

Cidel Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,006 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Cidel Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Cynosure Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Target by 1.2% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its holdings in shares of Target by 3.3% during the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its holdings in shares of Target by 0.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 1.1% during the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,063,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE TGT opened at $131.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.98.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. HSBC lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup upped their target price on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Daiwa America cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.70.

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.