Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) Shares Purchased by Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its position in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 322,885 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 54,533 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Target were worth $43,648,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its position in Target by 156.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 218 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of TGT stock opened at $137.28 on Wednesday. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $120.21 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $135.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.16.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.30 by ($0.45). The business had revenue of $25.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.87 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm’s revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.10 EPS. Research analysts expect that Target Co. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.12 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.26%. Target’s payout ratio is 47.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Daiwa America cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Target from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $184.00 to $108.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Target in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.23.

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.