Columbia Trust Co 01012016 Has $895,000 Position in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT)

Columbia Trust Co 01012016 grew its stake in Target Co. (NYSE:TGT) by 17.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,287 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 955 shares during the period. Columbia Trust Co 01012016’s holdings in Target were worth $895,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Monarch Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Target by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,014 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,996,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares in the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Viking Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 59,000 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,403,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co of the South acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $505,000. Finally, Schechter Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Target by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,356 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Up 0.0 %

TGT stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $172.72. 3,512,942 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,938,676. The company has a market cap of $79.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $152.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Target Co. has a 52 week low of $102.93 and a 52 week high of $175.53.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 5th. The retailer reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $31.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.83 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.85% and a return on equity of 33.41%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Target Co. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 49.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on TGT shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Target from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Target from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Target from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Target from $142.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Target from $167.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Target currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,038,481.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Target news, insider Christina Hennington sold 4,600 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.88, for a total transaction of $786,048.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 38,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,576,658.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.05, for a total transaction of $495,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,527 shares in the company, valued at $5,038,481.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,600 shares of company stock valued at $8,819,598 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by 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.