Nuance Investments LLC Invests $14.99 Million in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Nuance Investments LLC bought a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 110,890 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $14,990,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nicholas Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Target by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,485 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 144.9% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,699,000 after purchasing an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. purchased a new position in Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,459,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in Target by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth about $1,566,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $105.37 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $124.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.30. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $101.76 and a 12 month 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.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.25%. Target’s payout ratio is 50.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.55.

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.