Natural Investments LLC Purchases New Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,767 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $374,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Target by 8.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth $297,122,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Target by 173.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,369,400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $369,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502,200 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 11.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,555,542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,044 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 773.1% during the third quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 832,766 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $129,795,000 after purchasing an additional 737,384 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Price Performance

TGT stock opened at $112.88 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Target Co. has a one year low of $111.84 and a one year high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.74.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.97%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Target from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, KGI Securities set a $132.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $145.87.

Target 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.