TRUE Private Wealth Advisors Buys Shares of 1,693 Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

TRUE Private Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,693 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $241,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Target by 3,577.5% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,431 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its position in shares of Target by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,045 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 131.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 399 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the first quarter worth about $208,000. Finally, Ergoteles LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 191.5% in the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 11,794 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,503,000 after buying an additional 7,748 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 346,919 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,115,870.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:TGT opened at $166.58 on Friday. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $76.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $163.25 and its 200-day moving average is $140.52.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 49.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Gordon Haskett raised their target price on shares of Target from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Target from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research 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 MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.85.

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.