Islay Capital Management LLC Sells 8,996 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Islay Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 74.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,118 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,996 shares during the period. Islay Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Target during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 110.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price target on Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Target from $133.00 to $120.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.24.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $95.70 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. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $90.62 and a 12 month high of $173.05. The company has a market capitalization of $43.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.15, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $119.41 and its 200 day moving average is $134.85.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

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.