Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 5,667 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lessened its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 15.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,000 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 5,667 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Target were worth $4,676,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in shares of Target by 1.2% in the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer's stock worth $894,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 20.8% in the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in shares of Target by 0.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 9.7% in the second quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 806 shares of the retailer's stock worth $119,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. This represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Target Stock Up 2.8 %

TGT traded up $3.42 on Friday, hitting $125.01. The company had a trading volume of 13,678,861 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,346,569. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $149.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Target's payout ratio is currently 46.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on TGT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa America upgraded Target to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $137.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.13.

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.