Sentry Investment Management LLC Invests $232,000 in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,714 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position 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 valued at $4,368,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Target by 25.0% in the fourth quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 17,977 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after buying an additional 3,590 shares during the last quarter. Northeast Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at $1,566,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in Target by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 119,458 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,619,000 after buying an additional 9,510 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LMG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth about $1,438,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Target from $195.00 to $160.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $138.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $157.70.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $127.36 on Wednesday. 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’s 50 day moving average is $134.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.69. Target Co. has a twelve month low of $120.21 and a twelve month high of $181.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.15.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.

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.