Lazard Asset Management LLC Trims Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Lazard Asset Management LLC decreased its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 74.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 86,156 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 251,448 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Target were worth $11,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LRT Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Target by 211.9% in the 4th quarter. LRT Capital Management LLC now owns 7,139 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $965,000 after purchasing an additional 4,850 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $19,466,000. Investment Management Corp of Ontario raised its stake in Target by 35.2% in the 4th quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 23,110 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,124,000 after purchasing an additional 6,013 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $101,789,000. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Target by 148.2% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 42,093 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,690,000 after purchasing an additional 25,134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on TGT. Robert W. Baird cut Target from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Target from $140.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price target on Target in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Target in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $128.13.

Target Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE TGT traded up $1.49 on Friday, reaching $98.56. The company had a trading volume of 6,355,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,899,350. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.78 billion, a PE ratio of 10.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $87.35 and a 1 year high of $167.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $98.24 and a 200-day moving average of $122.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.