Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Raises Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,477 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $10,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Target by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after buying an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Target by 9,940.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $311,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,458 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in Target by 173.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 2,369,400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $369,295,000 after purchasing an additional 1,502,200 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Target by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Target by 711.2% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,762,000 after purchasing an additional 768,479 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of TGT opened at $137.28 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $62.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $181.86. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.07.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its 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). The company had revenue of $25.23 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.23.

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.