McIlrath & Eck LLC Increases Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 137.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 768 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $104,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Target during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Target by 175.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Target by 110.7% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 47.5% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $97.00 price target (up previously from $95.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Baird R W downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Target from $140.00 to $102.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $127.29.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $93.01 on Thursday. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $87.35 and a 12-month high of $167.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. 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 has a 50 day moving average of $97.70 and a 200 day moving average of $120.93.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.35). The business had revenue of $24.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.54 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company’s revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.56%.

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.