Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Stock Holdings Lowered by Loudon Investment Management LLC

Loudon Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 55.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,132 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,412 shares during the period. Loudon Investment Management LLC's holdings in Target were worth $1,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC grew its position in Target by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC now owns 264 shares of the retailer's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. grew its position in Target by 951.4% during the first quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 389 shares of the retailer's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Target during the first quarter worth about $43,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $105.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,404,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,099,764. Target Corporation has a 1-year low of $87.35 and a 1-year high of $167.40. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $98.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $48.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.22.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.23%. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.23%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.18, for a total transaction of $4,328,100.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 246,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,703,849.54. The trade was a 15.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Target from $100.00 to $95.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Target from $105.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $120.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Bank of America downgraded shares of Target from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $145.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-four have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $115.65.

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.