Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Buys 40,899 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 96.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 83,515 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 40,899 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $11,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased 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, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Up 1.5 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $95.70 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Target Co. has a one year low of $90.62 and a one year high of $173.05. The company has a market cap of $43.60 billion, a PE ratio of 10.15, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $119.41 and a 200-day moving average of $134.60.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Target from $134.00 to $124.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Bank of America cut their target price on Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.24.

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.