Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Acquired by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,506 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $519,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Little House Capital LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,041,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Target by 23.6% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 642,340 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $112,686,000 after acquiring an additional 122,706 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Target by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 65,558 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,690 shares during the period. Janney Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Target in the 1st quarter valued at about $13,958,000. Finally, United Services Automobile Association boosted its stake in Target by 134.6% during the 4th quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 103,785 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,781,000 after purchasing an additional 59,553 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 1.1 %

TGT stock opened at $154.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.08.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. Target’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on TGT. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets raised Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, August 26th. Daiwa America raised shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.68.

About Target

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.