Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Has $935,000 Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp trimmed its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,918 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Target were worth $935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Target by 175.3% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Target by 110.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $116.70 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $132.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.92. The company has a market cap of $53.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. 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 fifty-two week low of $112.53 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on TGT shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $122.00 price objective (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Gordon Haskett cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $148.23.

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.