Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ Reduces Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ reduced its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 93,951 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 14,323 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ’s holdings in Target were worth $12,688,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Target by 175.3% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 256 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Target by 110.7% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 257 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Target stock opened at $104.71 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $129.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.88. Target Co. has a 12-month low of $103.46 and a 12-month high of $181.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $47.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.18.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 4th. The retailer reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $30.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.83 billion. Target had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 4.06%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.28%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on TGT. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Target from $170.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Target from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Target from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. KGI Securities set a $132.00 price target on Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eighteen have given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.87.

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.