Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the thirty-three research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nineteen have assigned a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $125.9286.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Target from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Target from $132.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Target from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Target from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th.

Target Stock Performance

Target stock opened at $128.25 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Target has a 1-year low of $83.44 and a 1-year high of $133.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $123.07 and its 200 day moving average is $110.49.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Target will post 8.35 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.24%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Target by 10.1% during the first quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 86,124 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,438,000 after acquiring an additional 7,899 shares during the period. Summitry LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 33.8% during the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares during the period. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the first quarter worth approximately $5,103,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target during the first quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Essential Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 12.5% during the first quarter. Essential Partners LLC now owns 3,160 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.