Wall Street Zen Upgrades Target (NYSE:TGT) to “Buy”

Target (NYSE:TGT) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on TGT. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Roth Mkm reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $114.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Friday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Target from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Target from $121.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Target from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $125.93.

Target Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of TGT opened at $122.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Target has a 12 month low of $83.44 and a 12 month high of $133.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $124.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.02. The firm has a market cap of $55.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Insider Activity at Target

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total value of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 45,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% 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 Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in Target by 16.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC grew its position in Target by 3.4% in the first quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 2,474 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its position in Target by 3.1% in the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 2,951 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position in Target by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,163 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,971,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC grew its position in Target by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Target News

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised Target’s earnings estimates for FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029, signaling stronger expected profitability over the next several years. Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased quarterly EPS estimates for Q1 2028, Q1 2029, Q2 2028, and Q3 2028, which may reassure investors that earnings momentum is improving beyond the current year. Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Target is trending on Zacks.com and Yahoo Finance, suggesting elevated investor interest, but those items do not add new fundamental news by themselves. Is Trending Stock Target Corporation (TGT) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Current full-year EPS consensus remains at $8.35, so the revisions are supportive but not yet a major reset to near-term expectations. Is Trending Stock Target Corporation (TGT) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed some estimates, including Q4 2027 EPS, showing that the outlook is not uniformly improving across all time periods. Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)

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.