Target (NYSE:TGT) Reaches New 1-Year High on Strong Earnings

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $119.65 and last traded at $116.4640, with a volume of 2609459 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.17.

The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a return on equity of 22.25% and a net margin of 3.54%.The firm had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.14 per share. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.34%.

Target News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company unveiled a multi‑year turnaround and incremental spending plan (store refreshes, payroll/training, assortment changes, AI personalization and same‑day/digital investments) that supports a return to growth and justifies the earlier rally. Target outlines strategic plan
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and margin improvement (adjusted EPS $2.44 vs. ~$2.16) plus strong free cash flow arguments (supporting dividend/buyback optionality) which drove a sizable short‑term rally. Q4 results press release
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokers raised price targets and issued upgrades (UBS, Oppenheimer, Guggenheim, Telsey and others), reflecting renewed investor confidence in the turnaround’s upside. Analyst reactions / price target moves
• Neutral Sentiment: Management issued FY 2026 EPS guidance above consensus (7.50–8.50 vs. ~7.33), signaling medium‑term improvement, but the company’s sales trajectory remains mixed (some categories growing, total revenue still down year‑over‑year). Guidance and sales context
• Neutral Sentiment: Firm is leaning into AI for personalization and same‑day delivery expansion — a potential multi‑quarter driver for digital sales if execution succeeds, but benefits will accrue gradually. AI personalization article
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance was weak (management offered a low Q1 EPS guide below Street expectations), which introduces near‑term downside risk and explains some of the intraday profit‑taking. Guidance details
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and investors warned about execution risk — turning around categories, reworking store layouts and ramping AI are capital‑intensive and operationally complex; some firms (e.g., BofA, BNP Paribas Exane) remain cautious or retain underperform calls. Seeking Alpha critique

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on TGT shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Target from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research upgraded Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their price target on shares of Target from $63.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.90.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 101.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $822,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Target by 39.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 11,047 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Target by 41.7% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 8,312 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $820,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its holdings in Target by 24.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,916 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $781,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 12,478 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $109.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.06. The company has a market cap of $54.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 1.12.

About Target

Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company operates a network of full-line and small-format stores across the United States alongside a national e-commerce platform and mobile app. Target’s retail assortment spans apparel, home goods, electronics, groceries and household essentials, plus beauty, baby and pet categories. The firm complements national brands with a portfolio of owned and exclusive labels and partnerships that help differentiate its merchandise assortment.

Target traces its roots to the Dayton Company, founded by George Dayton in 1902; the Target discount chain was launched in 1962 and the parent company later adopted the Target Corporation name.