Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stock Position Reduced by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. trimmed its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 72.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,965 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,642 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,527,706 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,923,428,000 after buying an additional 702,565 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Target by 26.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,762,227 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $747,699,000 after acquiring an additional 1,415,900 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Target by 2.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,146,067 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $569,001,000 after acquiring an additional 134,262 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Target by 8.8% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 3,569,969 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $394,739,000 after purchasing an additional 287,748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Target by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,168 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $383,586,000 after purchasing an additional 127,491 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Target from $142.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $176.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.85.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares in the company, valued at $58,115,870.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $158.40 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $166.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.54. 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 stock has a market cap of $73.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

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.