Hantz Financial Services Inc. Takes Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 68,452 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,134,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter valued at $759,810,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $335,870,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Target by 15,009.5% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,757,088 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $250,244,000 after buying an additional 1,745,459 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Target by 51,357.7% in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,576 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $173,834,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Target by 58.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,683,228 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $382,145,000 after acquiring an additional 984,464 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TGT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Target from $209.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Target from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Daiwa America raised shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.68.

Target Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $153.62 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $147.18 and a 200-day moving average of $154.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm has a market cap of $71.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.19. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $102.93 and a twelve month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 31.91% and a net margin of 3.87%. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a $1.12 dividend. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.