Norwood Financial Corp Increases Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Norwood Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 15.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 765 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Norwood Financial Corp’s holdings in Target were worth $136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. increased its position in shares of Target by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 1,851 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,902 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $525,000. Artemis Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $7,143,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 36.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,246 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 1,408 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT traded up $1.42 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $148.14. The company had a trading volume of 12,772,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,949,080. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $102.93 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.20.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 22nd. The retailer reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.05 by ($0.02). Target had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 31.91%. The company had revenue of $24.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.05 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a $1.12 dividend. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on TGT shares. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $116.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Target from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.61.

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.