Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI lessened its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 65.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 317,606 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 607,325 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.07% of Target worth $45,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. United Services Automobile Association increased its stake in Target by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. United Services Automobile Association now owns 44,232 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,891,000 after buying an additional 1,239 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth $605,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Target by 82.8% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in Target by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 519,634 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $73,819,000 after purchasing an additional 24,066 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asio Capital LLC increased its position in Target by 109.9% in the 4th quarter. Asio Capital LLC now owns 27,267 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 14,274 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $157.63. The stock had a trading volume of 1,177,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,664,412. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The company’s fifty day moving average is $166.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.19. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $102.93 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.27%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on TGT. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of Target from $140.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. TheStreet upgraded Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on Target from $183.00 to $180.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Target Company 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.