Kentucky Retirement Systems Decreases Stock Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 31,792 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 438 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Target were worth $4,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 175.3% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Target by 110.7% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $124.40 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $134.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.67. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86. 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 company has a market cap of $57.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.15.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.10 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given 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 3.60%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup upped their price target on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $157.70.

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.