Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-two research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seventeen have assigned a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $131.9630.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Target from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Target from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total transaction of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. This trade represents a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Target by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 58,212,397 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,690,262,000 after acquiring an additional 286,499 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Target by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,772,533 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,692,265,000 after purchasing an additional 124,468 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,065,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,668,194,000 after buying an additional 561,898 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Target by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,194,448 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $605,507,000 after acquiring an additional 142,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter valued at $587,903,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of TGT stock opened at $139.98 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $129.05 and a 200-day moving average of $120.29. 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 has a 12-month low of $83.44 and a 12-month high of $142.82. The company has a market capitalization of $63.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.98.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.66 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Target will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.24%.

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.