Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Acquired by Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,538 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 556 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Target were worth $1,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 82.8% during the third quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Target by 200.8% during the fourth quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 361 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of TGT traded up $0.94 on Friday, reaching $165.38. 241,587 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,672,471. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $165.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.61. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $102.93 and a 12 month high of $181.86.

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

Target Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $140.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.85.

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.