Vestor Capital LLC Sells 120 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Vestor Capital LLC cut its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 678 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 120 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $97,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Target by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,527,706 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,923,428,000 after acquiring an additional 702,565 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 26.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,762,227 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $747,699,000 after acquiring an additional 1,415,900 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Target by 2.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,146,067 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $569,001,000 after buying an additional 134,262 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Target by 8.8% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 3,569,969 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $394,739,000 after purchasing an additional 287,748 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Target by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,469,168 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $383,586,000 after buying an additional 127,491 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

NYSE TGT traded up $4.75 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $164.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,537,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,663,545. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company’s 50-day moving average is $166.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.00. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $102.93 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $76.03 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays raised their price target on Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. TheStreet upgraded Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on Target from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup raised Target from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction 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 owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was 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 approximately $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sold a total of 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Company 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.