Target Corporation $TGT Stock: Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Increases Stake

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. boosted its stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 28.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,387,541 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 309,783 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in Target were worth $217,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of TGT. Nicholas Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Target by 204.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP now owns 55,154 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,204,000 after buying an additional 37,030 shares during the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank grew its position in Target by 89.7% during the second quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 31,700 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,140,000 after buying an additional 14,986 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in shares of Target by 4,119.2% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 372,558 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $48,660,000 after purchasing an additional 363,728 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $833,000. Finally, Neumann Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter worth $2,457,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Target

In related news, CAO Matthew Liegel sold 926 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total value of $151,410.26. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,005,613.66. The trade was a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Melissa Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total transaction of $2,634,380.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 56,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,684,490.76. This represents a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Target from $161.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on shares of Target from $92.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $161.00 target price (up from $127.00) on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Target from $166.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Target from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.37.

Target Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of TGT opened at $160.91 on Friday. Target Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $83.44 and a fifty-two week high of $170.75. The firm has a market cap of $73.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $136.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. The company had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. Target had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 4.08%. Target’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.05 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.18%.

About Target

Target Corporation is a U.S. general merchandise retailer that sells products through its stores and digital channels. Its assortment includes apparel and accessories, beauty products, home goods, groceries, electronics, toys, and household essentials, along with merchandise from national brands and Target-owned brands. The company also offers services such as in-store and curbside order pickup and same-day delivery in eligible areas. Target serves customers across the United States. The company traces its history to the Dayton Dry Goods Company, founded in Minneapolis in 1902.