South Plains Financial Inc. Takes Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

South Plains Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 925 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $125,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth approximately $11,517,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth $328,000. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group raised its stake in Target by 9.1% during the 4th quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 7,898 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after purchasing an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter valued at $130,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth about $1,053,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $95.90 on Friday. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $87.35 and a twelve month high of $167.40. The stock has a market cap of $43.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company’s fifty day moving average is $103.11 and its 200-day moving average is $126.27.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Equities research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.67%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America cut their target price on Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $132.37.

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.