Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $55.82 Million Stock Holdings in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 391,902 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 52,836 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Target were worth $55,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TGT. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 15,009.5% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,757,088 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $250,244,000 after buying an additional 1,745,459 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Target by 37,301.2% in the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,698,764 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $187,832,000 after buying an additional 1,694,222 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 26.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,762,227 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $747,699,000 after acquiring an additional 1,415,900 shares in the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 56.3% during the third quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,839,156 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $313,925,000 after buying an additional 1,022,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $87,075,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total value of $786,048.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total value of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $164.74 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $76.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.45, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $165.52 and its 200 day moving average is $143.49. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $102.93 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. Target had a return on equity of 33.41% and a net margin of 3.85%. The firm had revenue of $31.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.83 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.89 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.67%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 49.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TGT. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Target from $153.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Target from $183.00 to $180.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Target from $125.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Target from $160.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.85.

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.