Shoppers re-aim at Target

A Star Tribune Minnesota Poll last week found that 82 percent of respondents are visiting Target stores as often as they did before cyber thieves stole millions of card numbers and personal information.

Target has been quiet about the impact on sales, but Brian Yarbrough, a consumer analyst at Edward Jones & Co., said last week: "By late spring, end of summer, you'll be back to more normal business trends."

New CEO gets nod of approval

On Feb. 6 Maple Plain-based Proto Labs introduced new CEO Vicki Holt. Last week the rapid prototyping company announced fourth-quarter revenue of $44 million that was above expectations, which allowed analysts a chance to weigh in on the new leader.

Needham & Co. analyst James Ricchiuti is maintaining his "buy" rating on the company and wrote of Holt: "She appears to be a good fit … she brings over 30 years of leadership experience from a number of companies."

Last week, Steve Heller at Motley Fool also wrote of the new CEO: "Based on her impressive track record, Holt looks like a great candidate to bring the company to greater glory."

Patrick Kennedy