Bailard Inc. Buys 3,037 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,184 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,037 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $12,132,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Tower View Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Target by 82.8% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its stake in Target by 106.6% in the 3rd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:TGT traded down $1.14 on Wednesday, reaching $165.37. 2,630,551 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,722,639. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $164.85 and a 200-day moving average of $142.46. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $102.93 and a 52-week high of $181.86.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.66%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on TGT shares. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. TheStreet raised shares of Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Target from $176.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 346,919 shares in the company, valued at $58,115,870.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,115,870.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.