Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Whitener Capital Management Inc.

Whitener Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,775 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 325 shares during the quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. Janney Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 16.3% during the third quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC now owns 86,951 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,552,000 after acquiring an additional 12,164 shares during the last quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Target by 141.8% in the third quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc now owns 7,616 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 4,466 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 5.4% in the third quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 247,675 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,603,000 after purchasing an additional 12,627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC grew its stake in Target by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 2,935 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $457,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at $48,210,768.81. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at $1,114,173.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $150.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $153.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.32. The firm has a market cap of $69.49 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $105.23 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TGT. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Target from $147.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of Target from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.47.

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.