J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Buys 26,166 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 2,005.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,471 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 26,166 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Target were worth $3,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Invst LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 11,760 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,833,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 5.6% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,684 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Target by 142.5% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,585 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,026,000 after buying an additional 3,870 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter valued at $1,684,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its position in shares of Target by 331.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 14,387 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,242,000 after buying an additional 11,054 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of Target stock traded up $1.40 on Friday, hitting $96.71. The stock had a trading volume of 5,269,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,423,831. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Target Co. has a one year low of $87.35 and a one year high of $167.40. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $106.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.31. The stock has a market cap of $44.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.26, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.28.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $30.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.63%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on TGT. Roth Mkm reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $122.00 target price (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Roth Capital set a $122.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Target in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $132.37.

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.