Harvest Investment Advisors LLC Buys 1,300 Shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Harvest Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 15.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,785 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. Harvest Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $1,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,368,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Target by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,619,000 after acquiring an additional 9,510 shares in the last quarter. Prana Capital Management LP grew its stake in Target by 47.5% in the third quarter. Prana Capital Management LP now owns 217,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,834,000 after purchasing an additional 69,885 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter worth about $967,000. Finally, TAP Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,403,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $132.39 on Monday. Target Co. has a 12 month low of $120.21 and a 12 month high of $181.86. The stock has a market cap of $60.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $147.59.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by ($0.45). The firm had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.10 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.17, for a total transaction of $997,715.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 4.89 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.15% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Target from $180.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Target from $165.00 to $130.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $160.30.

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.