Ellsworth Advisors LLC Makes New $4.86 Million Investment in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Ellsworth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 35,945 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,859,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its stake in shares of Target by 156.5% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Target in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, November 25th. HSBC lowered shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Target from $156.00 to $130.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Target from $180.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.23.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $133.62 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $136.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $61.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.17, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.16. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

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

Target Announces Dividend

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