Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 52,836 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 391,902 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 52,836 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.08% of Target worth $55,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in TGT. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tower View Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 82.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 234 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target by 200.8% during the 4th quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. now owns 361 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $164.74 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.49. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $102.93 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $76.06 billion, a PE ratio of 18.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its 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 return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The company had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.27%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Target from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Target from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $149.00 to $206.00 in a report 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.