Symmetry Partners LLC Makes New $204,000 Investment in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Symmetry Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,508 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $204,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,368,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the period. Nicholas Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,544,000 after acquiring an additional 9,485 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 144.9% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,699,000 after acquiring an additional 138,751 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,430,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,566,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 0.2 %

TGT opened at $104.81 on Thursday. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $103.46 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $47.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $127.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.71.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. Analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target’s payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on TGT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. HSBC lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Target from $150.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $122.00 target price (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.87.

Target Company 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.