144,000 Shares in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Acquired by Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 144,000 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $19,466,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,657 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,603,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Fiducient Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC now owns 1,778 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. First PREMIER Bank grew its stake in Target by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 445 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Winch Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Target by 34.5% in 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. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

TGT traded up $1.69 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $96.95. The stock had a trading volume of 8,337,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,881,533. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $87.35 and a 1 year high of $167.40. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $98.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.74. The stock has a market cap of $44.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 4.62%. Target's payout ratio is 50.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Target from $140.00 to $105.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Target from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Cfra Research lowered Target from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-two have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $128.63.

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.