Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV decreased its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,579 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 552 shares during the quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Target were worth $4,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors grew its position in Target by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 21,930,569 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,964,565,000 after acquiring an additional 1,306,552 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Target by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 11,338,729 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,532,769,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358,348 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Target by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,885,015 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,332,317,000 after acquiring an additional 470,990 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $757,892,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Target by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,376,640 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $726,814,000 after acquiring an additional 754,883 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

TGT stock opened at $95.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.22. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $87.35 and a 1 year high of $167.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $95.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.23.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($0.35). The company had revenue of $24.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.54 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total transaction of $4,328,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 246,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,703,849.54. This trade represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Target from $112.00 to $103.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Target from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Bank of America cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $145.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 target price (down from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $116.70.

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.