Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. Boosts Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 0.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,453 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $3,188,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its position in Target by 56.1% in the first quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 178 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. increased its stake in Target by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. now owns 10,773 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,909,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Beacon Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Target by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Target by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,382 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $203,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in Target by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 15,678 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,444,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $151.16. 4,082,176 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,950,075. Target Co. has a fifty-two week low of $105.23 and a fifty-two week high of $181.86. The firm has a market cap of $69.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $152.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The retailer reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.39. Target had a return on equity of 33.10% and a net margin of 4.18%. The company had revenue of $25.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $25.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Target Co. will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.12 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on TGT. StockNews.com cut Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Daiwa America upgraded Target to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Target from $180.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $179.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 123,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.13, for a total transaction of $153,130.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 7,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,114,173.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Richard H. Gomez sold 6,348 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 27th. The stock was 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 owns 123,551 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,418,510.67. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,348 shares of company stock worth $8,290,995 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.