Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Has $1.71 Million Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 6.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,650 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 148.6% during the first quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 174 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Group LLC raised its stake in Target by 85.0% in the first quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 198 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on TGT shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Target from $190.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Target from $191.00 to $181.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Target from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, Gordon Haskett boosted their price target on Target from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.57.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT traded down $1.55 during trading on Monday, reaching $151.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,645,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,910,486. The firm has a market cap of $70.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $149.78 and a 200-day moving average of $153.92. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $24.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.52 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.91% and a net margin of 3.87%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.05 EPS. Research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 49.38%.

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.