First Western Trust Bank Invests $290,000 in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

First Western Trust Bank purchased a new position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,039 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $290,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Target by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $760,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,715 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,099,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its holdings in Target by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Target by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 494 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of Target stock traded up $4.75 during trading on Thursday, reaching $164.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,537,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,663,545. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.00. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $102.93 and a 1-year high of $181.86. The company has a market cap of $76.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $149.00 to $206.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Target from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Target from $157.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.