Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Sells 200 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC decreased its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,626 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,166,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Lmcg Investments LLC grew its position in Target by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 5,305 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 1,108 shares during the period. Aspiriant LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 1,618 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Target by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 74,477 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,067,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares during the period. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Target by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,459 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,549,000 after acquiring an additional 1,716 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Martel Wealth Advisors Inc bought a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $406,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $137.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued 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 payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America cut their price target on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.23.

Target 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.