Ascentis Independent Advisors Takes $901,000 Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Ascentis Independent Advisors purchased a new stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,434 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $901,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its stake in shares of Target by 192.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total value of $1,258,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $127.55 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $57.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.98. 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 Corporation has a 1-year low of $83.44 and a 1-year high of $142.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $128.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.40.

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

Target Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on TGT shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research raised shares of Target from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $162.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Target from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $130.64.

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.