MCF Advisors LLC Acquires 163 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 175.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 256 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $35,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the third quarter worth $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 156.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Target in the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, First Financial Corp IN boosted its holdings in Target by 330.8% in the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 280 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $135.74 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $135.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.01. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders 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 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $145.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.57.

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.