Target (NYSE:TGT) CAO Matthew Liegel Sells 926 Shares

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) CAO Matthew Liegel sold 926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total value of $151,410.26. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,613.66. This represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $169.96 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.55. The company has a market cap of $77.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.96. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $170.75.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $1.76. Target had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 4.08%.The firm had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.05 EPS. Target’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Target from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Target from $161.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Target from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Target from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.52.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Target in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Target during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

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.