Connors Investor Services Inc. Sells 4,107 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Connors Investor Services Inc. decreased its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,968 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,107 shares during the period. Connors Investor Services Inc.'s holdings in Target were worth $10,540,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at $130,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth about $1,053,000. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 5,493 shares of the retailer's stock worth $743,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 713,790 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $96,490,000 after purchasing an additional 49,118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Target by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,376,640 shares of the retailer's stock worth $726,814,000 after purchasing an additional 754,883 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT traded down $2.31 on Monday, reaching $95.06. The stock had a trading volume of 2,412,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,738,292. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $87.35 and a 1-year high of $167.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $43.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $102.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $125.39.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.17. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.83 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Roth Capital set a $122.00 target price on Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Baird R W lowered Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $122.00 target price (down previously from $131.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty-three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $132.37.

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.