Russell Investments Group Ltd. Reduces Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 556,950 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,535 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Target were worth $75,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 175.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Target by 110.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price target (down from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group dropped their price objective on Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $140.24.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $95.70 on Friday. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $90.62 and a 12 month high of $173.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $119.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.73.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

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.