J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,545 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 359 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Target by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 33,133 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,498,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 5,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $751,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth $693,000. Tanglewood Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter valued at about $170,000. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $130.00 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $134.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.99. 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 $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a market capitalization of $59.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America cut their target price on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

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.