Target Corporation (TGT) – What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirty-one research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fifteen have assigned a hold recommendation, twelve have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $159.33.

TGT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Target from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $170.00 price target on Target in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays upped their price objective on Target from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Zacks Research raised Target from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Target from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other news, insider Melissa Kremer sold 15,500 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total value of $2,634,380.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 56,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,684,490.76. The trade was a 21.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Matthew Liegel sold 926 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total transaction of $151,410.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,613.66. The trade was a 7.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,054,604,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $831,466,000. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $320,006,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $224,238,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $150,784,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Target stock opened at $153.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $69.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $157.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.81. Target has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $170.75.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. The firm had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The company’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.05 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Target will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.18%.

About Target

Target Corporation is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer that operates stores and digital shopping platforms under the Target name. The company sells a broad assortment of products, including apparel and accessories, beauty and household essentials, electronics, toys, groceries, home furnishings, and seasonal merchandise.

Target also offers services designed to support omnichannel shopping, including order pickup, Drive Up, same-day delivery, and shipping through its digital channels.