Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Receives $116.45 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the thirty-three research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nineteen have issued a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.3214.

Several analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Bank of America began coverage on Target in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 target price on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on Target from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Target from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane boosted their price target on Target from $63.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TGT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Target by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 51,444,338 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,074,984,000 after acquiring an additional 6,607,982 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $587,903,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at about $257,571,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 243.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,870,210 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $280,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,035,298 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of Target by 6,639.1% in the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,912,963 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $186,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,577 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE TGT opened at $113.03 on Friday. Target has a 52 week low of $83.44 and a 52 week high of $126.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $113.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $51.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 1.12.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The company had revenue of $30.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. Target’s revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be paid a $1.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.09%.

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.