Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 38.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,795 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,439 shares during the quarter. Target comprises approximately 1.0% of Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $2,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in 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 fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,485 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Target by 144.9% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,699,000 after buying an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in Target by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after buying an additional 3,590 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northeast Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,566,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Target from $146.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Target from $166.00 to $142.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $145.87.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $104.81 on Thursday. Target Co. has a one year low of $103.46 and a one year high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $47.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $127.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

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

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.