Vestor Capital LLC Sells 120 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Vestor Capital LLC lessened its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 678 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $97,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,339 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC grew its stake in Target by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 7,715 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Target by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Financial Advisory LLC now owns 7,059 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,005,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in Target by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 5,704 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $812,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 494 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of Target stock traded up $4.75 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $164.34. The company had a trading volume of 2,537,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,663,545. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $146.00. The company has a market capitalization of $76.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.17. Target Co. has a 1-year low of $102.93 and a 1-year high of $181.86. 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 issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

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 paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Target from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Target from $183.00 to $180.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total value of $7,538,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,115,870.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.52, for a total transaction of $7,538,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 346,919 shares in the company, valued at $58,115,870.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock worth $8,819,598 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.23% 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.