Capital Advisors Inc. OK Raises Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,258 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK’s holdings in Target were worth $440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cynosure Group LLC grew its stake in Target by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its position in shares of Target by 1.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in shares of Target by 3.3% in the third quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position 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 worth $2,444,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Target by 1.1% during the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $127.50 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $135.26 and its 200 day moving average is $143.56. The company has a market cap of $58.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

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 issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. One equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

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.