Legacy Private Trust Co. lowered its position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT – Get Rating) by 16.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,204 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 7,420 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.'s holdings in Target were worth $5,545,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 12,666 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,257 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 29,565 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,407,000 after purchasing an additional 2,134 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 53,039 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,905,000 after purchasing an additional 3,894 shares in the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Modus Advisors LLC now owns 15,147 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,257,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, General Partner Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $590,000. Institutional investors own 78.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. TheStreet raised Target from a "c+" rating to a "b-" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Target from $180.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Target in a research report on Tuesday, December 6th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Finally, Cowen decreased their target price on Target from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.69.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $156.22 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.05. Target Co. has a 52-week low of $137.16 and a 52-week high of $254.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $166.27 and a 200 day moving average of $160.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.92.

Target (NYSE:TGT – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The retailer reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.49. Target had a return on equity of 25.63% and a net margin of 2.55%. The firm had revenue of $31.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.19 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.08 per share. This represents a $4.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 16th. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, insider Brian C. Cornell sold 35,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.98, for a total transaction of $5,564,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 191,272 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,408,422.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Target Profile

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Target Corp. engages in the operation and ownership of general merchandise stores. It offers food assortments including perishables, dry grocery, dairy, and frozen items. The company was founded by George Draper Dayton in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

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