1,734 Shares in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Bought by Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,734 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $247,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower View Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Target by 82.8% in the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Target by 200.8% in the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 361 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of TGT traded up $2.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $160.41. 2,837,597 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,680,698. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $74.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $166.79 and its 200-day moving average is $145.90. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $102.93 and a 52 week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Target’s payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $157.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.85.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares in the company, valued at $58,115,870.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.