Janus Henderson Group PLC Purchases 36,941 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 20.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 217,214 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,941 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Target were worth $38,484,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $759,810,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 15,009.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,757,088 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $250,244,000 after buying an additional 1,745,459 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 51,357.7% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,576 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $173,834,000 after buying an additional 1,218,204 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,683,228 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $382,145,000 after buying an additional 984,464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Target by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 10,163,864 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,447,538,000 after acquiring an additional 868,274 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT traded up $2.20 on Wednesday, reaching $150.15. 768,569 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,810,213. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.56. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $69.47 billion, a PE ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $24.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.52 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 31.91%. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.05 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 49.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on TGT. StockNews.com downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Target from $191.00 to $181.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Target from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $153.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Gordon Haskett raised their target price on shares of Target from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $176.57.

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.