Pacer Advisors Inc. Grows Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 499.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 224,657 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 187,199 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Target were worth $30,369,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cynosure Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 4.3% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its stake in Target by 1.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer's stock worth $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its holdings in Target by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer's stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in Target by 0.4% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,063,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Target Trading Down 1.0 %

Target stock traded down $1.40 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,140,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,273,521. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The stock's fifty day moving average is $134.09 and its 200 day moving average is $144.72. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $120.21 and a 1-year high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 3.18%. Target's payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on TGT. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm cut their price objective on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.