Operose Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Operose Advisors LLC increased its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 72.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,675 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,375 shares during the period. Operose Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 47.5% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $94.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.03 billion, a PE ratio of 10.02, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $112.19 and its 200 day moving average is $131.26. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $87.35 and a fifty-two week high of $169.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.74%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 50.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TGT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Target from $132.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Baird R W cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 target price (down from $131.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-one have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $134.57.

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.