National Pension Service Acquires 18,284 Shares of Target Corporation $TGT

National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 960,066 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 18,284 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Target were worth $125,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $151,410.26. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,613.66. The trade was a 7.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Melissa Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total value of $2,634,380.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,684,490.76. The trade was a 21.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on TGT. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $124.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Target from $166.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $154.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on Target from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.52.

Target Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of TGT opened at $155.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.18, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $132.92. Target Corporation has a twelve month low of $83.44 and a twelve month high of $170.75.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $1.76. The firm had revenue of $26.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.05 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation is a general merchandise retailer that operates stores and digital shopping channels across the United States. Its assortment includes apparel and accessories, beauty products, home furnishings and décor, electronics, toys, sporting goods, household essentials, groceries and other everyday merchandise.

Target offers a combination of in-store and digital services, including order pickup, Drive Up and same-day delivery through Shipt. The company also develops and sells a broad portfolio of owned brands, while offering national-brand products and merchandise through a range of seasonal and specialty categories.

The company traces its history to the Dayton Company, founded in Minneapolis in 1902.