Gotham Asset Management LLC Lowers Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Gotham Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 30.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 92,239 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 41,053 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Target were worth $12,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of TGT. Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Target by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,603,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer's stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank increased its position in shares of Target by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 445 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on Target from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Target from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $97.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Monday. Roth Mkm reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $122.00 price objective (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $122.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $128.63.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT stock traded up $1.69 on Thursday, reaching $96.95. The stock had a trading volume of 8,337,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,881,520. 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 1 year low of $87.35 and a 1 year high of $167.40. The stock has a market cap of $44.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.62%. Target's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.56%.

Target Company 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.