Trust Co. of Vermont Purchases 553 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,231 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Target were worth $2,194,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Target by 33.9% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 53,968 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,989,000 after buying an additional 13,678 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 42,627 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,311,000 after purchasing an additional 7,468 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Target by 56.5% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 14,228 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 5,137 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Target by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,506 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $519,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in Target by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 980,103 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $145,094,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Melius Research initiated coverage on Target in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price target on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Target in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Daiwa America downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.23.

Target Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $133.62 on Friday. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $61.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.14.

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

Target Announces Dividend

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

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.