Target Corporation $TGT Shares Sold by Arax Advisory Partners

Arax Advisory Partners decreased its stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 54.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,465 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 16,362 shares during the quarter. Arax Advisory Partners’ holdings in Target were worth $1,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Target by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,925,898 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,195,953,000 after purchasing an additional 6,481,560 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $587,903,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Target by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 65,505 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,448,146 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $101,379,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Target by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,648,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,377,031,000 after purchasing an additional 911,964 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE TGT opened at $133.14 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Target Corporation has a 52 week low of $83.44 and a 52 week high of $137.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.47 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $125.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.03.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on TGT. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Target in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore set a $130.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $126.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total transaction of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Target Company Profile

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.