Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirty-three brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $125.9286.

Several analysts have commented on the company. Freedom Capital downgraded Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Target from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Target in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 1.4%

TGT opened at $124.93 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $124.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $56.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.00. Target has a 52 week low of $83.44 and a 52 week high of $133.10.

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 firm 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 firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.35 EPS for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a dividend of $1.14 per share. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 60.24%.

More 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, and also increased Q2 2027, Q3 2027 and Q2 2028 EPS forecasts, signaling stronger long-term profit expectations for the retailer.
• Neutral Sentiment: Target announced “Target Circle Deal Days” with discounts of up to 45% on back-to-school, summer and college essentials, which could help drive traffic and sales but is more of a promotional update than a clear earnings catalyst. New, Deep Savings for Back-to-School and Summer: Target Circle Deal Days Delivers Value with Style
• Neutral Sentiment: An article comparing Target with Walmart highlighted Target as a potential turnaround and long-term value play, but it did not include new company-specific financial data. Walmart vs. Target: Which Retailer Is the Better Long-Term Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Target insider Cara Sylvester sold 10,000 shares, which can sometimes weigh on investor sentiment even if it does not necessarily reflect the company’s fundamentals. Target (NYSE:TGT) Insider Cara Sylvester Sells 10,000 Shares of Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed one near-term estimate, cutting Q4 2028 EPS slightly, which suggests some caution around longer-dated earnings expectations.

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.