Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Has $1.24 Million Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,196 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,783 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,243,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in TGT. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 45.4% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 2,860 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in Target by 39.9% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 27,535 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,076,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in Target by 75.7% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 17,872 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,646,000 after purchasing an additional 7,699 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in Target by 1.0% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 12,017 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its position in Target by 59.9% in the second quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 88,439 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,093,000 after purchasing an additional 33,146 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $135.74 on Thursday. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 and a 52-week high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $62.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $135.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.01.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.10 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on TGT shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Target from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.57.

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.