SG Americas Securities LLC Decreases Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 67.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,538 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 22,181 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in TGT. State Street Corp increased its stake in Target by 8.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732,801 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 9,940.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $311,937,000 after buying an additional 1,981,458 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,502,200 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Target by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,555,542,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its position in Target by 773.1% in 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 Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $142.44 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.79. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.57.

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.