Cladis Investment Advisory LLC Lowers Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Cladis Investment Advisory LLC trimmed its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,743 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 227 shares during the quarter. Cladis Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Target by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,603,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Fiducient Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank boosted its position in Target by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 445 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $95.68 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $100.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $124.54. 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 market cap of $43.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $87.35 and a 12 month high of $167.40.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. On average, analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors 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 is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on TGT. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $142.00 to $101.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. 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. Roth Capital set a $122.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.