Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lowered its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 8,162 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 255 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in Target by 156.5% during the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target by 110.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $140.28 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. The company has a market cap of $64.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.64. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

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.