Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 8.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,418 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,941 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Target were worth $8,392,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nicholas Company Inc. raised its stake in Target by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Company Inc. now owns 55,810 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,544,000 after acquiring an additional 9,485 shares during the period. DSG Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 16.1% during the first quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 156,644 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $16,347,000 after buying an additional 21,726 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 144.9% during the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 234,492 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,699,000 after buying an additional 138,751 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 29.0% during the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 14,354 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,940,000 after buying an additional 3,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,459,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total value of $4,328,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 246,453 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,703,849.54. This represents a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Target Stock Performance

Target stock traded down $0.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $104.26. The company had a trading volume of 3,863,821 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,269,118. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Target Corporation has a 12-month low of $87.35 and a 12-month high of $167.40. The company's fifty day moving average is $97.69 and its 200-day moving average is $110.78. The company has a market capitalization of $47.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.22.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The retailer reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.65 by ($0.35). The business had revenue of $24.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.54 billion. Target had a return on equity of 25.59% and a net margin of 3.95%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. Target's payout ratio is 49.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Target from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $97.00 to $82.00 in a report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $112.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Target from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Target from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $116.70.

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.