Verus Capital Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Verus Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,277 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 506 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $713,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peloton Wealth Strategists bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at $1,918,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Target by 23,464.9% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 605,618 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $81,867,000 after acquiring an additional 603,048 shares during the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Target by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 4,116 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $556,000 after acquiring an additional 531 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its position in Target by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 181,500 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $24,535,000 after purchasing an additional 3,600 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $90,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Target from $139.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.93.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $124.37 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $56.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $181.86. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $142.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

Target Announces Dividend

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

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.