Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Sells 958 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc trimmed its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,789 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 958 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Target were worth $2,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,684 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Target by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Target by 72.0% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 122,346 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $17,425,000 after purchasing an additional 51,217 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its position in Target by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 3,903 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $556,000 after buying an additional 536 shares during the period. Finally, 1900 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter valued at about $220,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE TGT traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $166.40. 845,323 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,723,155. The firm has a market cap of $76.83 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.29. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.10 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.64%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.27%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on TGT. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $174.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. TheStreet raised Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Target from $157.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.85.

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.