Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 550.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,818 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,312 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in TGT. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Target by 11.7% during the third 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. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Target by 6.8% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $647,652,000 after buying an additional 279,656 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,316,738 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $639,050,000 after acquiring an additional 440,307 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,321,055 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $517,620,000 after acquiring an additional 62,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Target by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,114,400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $461,031,000 after acquiring an additional 435,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $131.38 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $148.04. 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 firm has a market cap of $60.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.17.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $174.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.