Savant Capital LLC Lowers Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Savant Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 23.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,365 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,914 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $3,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Cynosure Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 4.3% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.2% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in shares of Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Target by 0.4% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.1% in the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $132.44 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $60.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $135.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.67. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $120.21 and a 12-month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on TGT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Target from $139.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.