Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Sold by Plimoth Trust Co. LLC

Plimoth Trust Co. LLC lowered its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 5.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,973 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 585 shares during the quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Target by 56.1% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Target by 0.6% during the first quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Target by 20.8% in the second quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Target by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in Target by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,444,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Target stock traded down $5.93 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $150.91. 4,440,953 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,959,292. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $105.23 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $152.57. The company has a market capitalization of $69.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.24.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a net margin of 4.18% and a return on equity of 33.10%. The firm had revenue of $25.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total transaction of $7,140,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total value of $153,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 7,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.67, for a total value of $7,140,150.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 303,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,210,768.81. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on TGT. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Target from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Target from $158.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “inline” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Target from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $179.69.

About Target

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.