Wright Investors Service Inc. Has $753,000 Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Wright Investors Service Inc. decreased its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 25.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,571 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,929 shares during the quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $753,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cynosure Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 4.3% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $248,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its position in Target by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 5,736 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $894,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in shares of Target by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,818 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after buying an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $138.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $63.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $137.36 and a 200-day moving average of $145.47. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week 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 announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on TGT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Target from $167.00 to $139.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on shares of Target from $157.00 to $131.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $165.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $160.57.

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.