Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $47.05 Million Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Empower Advisory Group LLC lessened its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 348,080 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 50,600 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned 0.08% of Target worth $47,053,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter worth $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter worth $38,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Target by 110.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on TGT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Roth Mkm dropped their price target on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $127.86 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $135.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.13. The firm has a market cap of $58.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.56, a PEG 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

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.