Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Stock Holdings Increased by Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.6% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 48,326 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Target comprises 1.0% of Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Target were worth $8,564,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,130 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,158,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 0.9% in the fourth 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 grew its holdings in Target by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in Target by 4.1% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,851 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 0.6 %

Target stock traded down $0.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $144.55. The stock had a trading volume of 655,717 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,907,696. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $152.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $153.41. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $66.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by ($0.02). Target had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 31.91%. The firm had revenue of $24.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.05 earnings per share. Target’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Target Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a $1.12 dividend. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.38%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $153.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Target from $180.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Target from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $177.61.

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.