DGS Capital Management LLC Increases Stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

DGS Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 38.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,193 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 612 shares during the quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Target by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 35,484,252 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,530,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,732,801 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Target by 11.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 9,980,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,555,542,000 after buying an additional 1,046,044 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Target by 1.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,414,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,461,456,000 after buying an additional 130,691 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Target by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,374,851 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $647,652,000 after buying an additional 279,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Target by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,316,738 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $639,050,000 after acquiring an additional 440,307 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $134.54 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $144.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $147.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.17. Target Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 47.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total value of $997,715.16. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on TGT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Target in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 target price on the stock. Melius Research assumed coverage on Target in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Hsbc Global Res cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have issued a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.57.

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.