LS Investment Advisors LLC Has $2.34 Million Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

LS Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,020 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Triad Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Slocum Gordon & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 56.1% in the 1st quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its position in Target by 156.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other Target news, 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 transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,114,173.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $150.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.96. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $105.23 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on TGT. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Target from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.47.

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.