Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Acquires Shares of 6,801 Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,801 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $919,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in Target by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Target by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,603,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC increased its position in Target by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank increased 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Target by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $94.87 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $98.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.74. 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 $87.35 and a one year high of $167.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.11 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.72%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $140.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Target from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $128.63.

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.