Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by DAVENPORT & Co LLC

DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,086 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 2,098 shares during the quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC's holdings in Target were worth $2,986,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Target by 1.8% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,368,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Target by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares in the last quarter. Prana Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Target by 47.5% during the third quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,834,000 after acquiring an additional 69,885 shares during the period. Finally, Polianta Ltd raised its stake in shares of Target by 39.2% during the fourth quarter. Polianta Ltd now owns 10,300 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 2,900 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Down 0.2 %

Target stock traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $135.27. 4,907,436 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,016,868. The company has a market cap of $61.98 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.15. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The company's fifty day moving average price is $135.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.11. 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 (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $25.23 billion for 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 was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Target's payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Hsbc Global Res cut Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $157.70.

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.