United Asset Strategies Inc. Boosts Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,985 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 370 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Target by 9,940.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,001,391 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $311,937,000 after buying an additional 1,981,458 shares during the period. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the first quarter valued at $335,870,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 711.2% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 876,531 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $129,762,000 after purchasing an additional 768,479 shares during the period. Swedbank AB purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the first quarter valued at $107,367,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 17.5% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,153,875 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $558,898,000 after purchasing an additional 470,647 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $150.00 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $153.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.50. The firm has a market cap of $69.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.24. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $105.23 and a 52 week high of $181.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.19 billion. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on TGT shares. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Target from $156.00 to $162.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price for the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Target from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,114,173.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995. Corporate insiders own 0.15% of the company’s stock.

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.