Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,008 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,353,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nicholas Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of Target by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,544,000 after purchasing an additional 9,485 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Target by 144.9% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,699,000 after purchasing an additional 138,751 shares in the last quarter. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth $6,459,000. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC lifted its position in Target by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 14,354 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 3,231 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in Target by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,430,000 after buying an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Target stock traded down $1.29 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $94.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,399,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,999,646. 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 $87.35 and a one year high of $167.40. The company has a market capitalization of $43.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $96.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.05.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.35). The company had revenue of $24.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.54 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Target from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Roth Capital set a $122.00 price objective on Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-five have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.68.

Target 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.