Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. lessened its holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,239 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 454 shares during the period. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Target by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,368,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 8.6% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares in the last quarter. Prana Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Target by 47.5% during the third quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,834,000 after acquiring an additional 69,885 shares during the period. Leibman Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth $2,272,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at $967,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial raised their target price on Target from $129.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $170.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, HSBC cut Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.23.

Target Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of TGT opened at $133.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $136.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.14. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. Target’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. Analysts predict that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

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.