Foster & Motley Inc. Has $4.39 Million Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Foster & Motley Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 41.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,474 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 9,440 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.'s holdings in Target were worth $4,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in Target by 1.8% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,368,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its stake in Target by 8.6% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares during the period. Prana Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Target by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $33,834,000 after purchasing an additional 69,885 shares during the last quarter. Polianta Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 39.2% in the fourth quarter. Polianta Ltd now owns 10,300 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 2,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $967,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Price Performance

TGT stock traded up $0.82 during trading on Thursday, hitting $140.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,189,013 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,950,790. The company's 50-day moving average price is $134.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.61. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.93, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on TGT shares. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. HSBC downgraded shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $138.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target presently has a consensus 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.