CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC Makes New Investment in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 12,431 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,937,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 9,940.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $311,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,458 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new position in Target in the first quarter valued at approximately $335,870,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 711.2% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $129,762,000 after purchasing an additional 768,479 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in shares of Target during the first quarter worth $107,367,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,316,738 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $639,050,000 after purchasing an additional 440,307 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. This trade represents a 12.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 52,348 shares of company stock valued at $8,290,995. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $121.66 on Friday. Target Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $56.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $151.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $149.92.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.68%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 46.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Daiwa Capital Markets upgraded Target from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Daiwa America raised shares of Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Melius Research started coverage on Target in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Target presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.13.

About Target

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.