Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Diversify Advisory Services LLC

Diversify Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,448 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 326 shares during the quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of TGT. State Street Corp increased its stake in Target by 8.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 9,940.6% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its holdings in shares of Target by 173.2% during the third 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 lifted its position in shares of Target by 11.7% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Target by 711.2% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $129,762,000 after purchasing an additional 768,479 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $137.24 on Friday. Target Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $134.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.55, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.16.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on TGT. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa America downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res lowered shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.57.

About Target

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.