Webster Bank N. A. Sells 116 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Webster Bank N. A. reduced its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,389 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 116 shares during the quarter. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Target were worth $864,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 4.3% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management lifted its holdings in Target by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its stake in Target by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Target by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.1% in the third quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,063,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

TGT stock opened at $137.99 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $134.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $144.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. Target Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $63.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly 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). Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.10 earnings per share. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Bank of America lowered their target price on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets cut Target from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $130.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Roth Mkm dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.