VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC Acquires New Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,505 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Target by 8.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,530,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732,801 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Target by 9,940.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $311,937,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,458 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in Target by 173.2% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,369,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $369,295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,502,200 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 11.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 773.1% during the third quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 832,766 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,795,000 after acquiring an additional 737,384 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of Target stock opened at $124.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $134.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.15.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered their price target on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.70.

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.