Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Position Trimmed by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. reduced its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,736 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 666 shares during the quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,209,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 110.7% in 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 last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of TGT opened at $135.74 on Thursday. 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 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $134.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $144.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on TGT. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. HSBC lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Roth Mkm reduced their price objective on Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.57.

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.