Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by Tufton Capital Management

Tufton Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,155 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 622 shares during the period. Target comprises 1.9% of Tufton Capital Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in Target were worth $10,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Target by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of Target by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Target by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,619,000 after purchasing an additional 9,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,438,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $122.80 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.42. The firm has a market cap of $56.27 billion, a PE ratio of 13.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.65%. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on TGT. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.93.

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.