Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Bought by Smead Capital Management Inc.

Smead Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,243,928 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 41,394 shares during the quarter. Target comprises 2.8% of Smead Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Smead Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Target worth $193,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Triad Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Target during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new stake in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in Target by 156.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on TGT. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Target from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen increased their price target on Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Target currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.47.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $156.50 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $152.68 and a 200-day moving average of $150.33. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $128.37 and a 1 year high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s payout ratio is 46.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The trade was a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 in the last 90 days. 0.15% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.