Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the thirty-two analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $132.1481.

Several research firms have issued reports on TGT. Freedom Capital lowered Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Target from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $162.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Argus set a $150.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $132.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Target from $140.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th.

Insider Activity at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider owned 45,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Target

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its position in shares of Target by 192.0% in the fourth 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 2.5%

TGT stock opened at $134.52 on Friday. Target has a twelve month low of $83.44 and a twelve month high of $144.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.98. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.69.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.66 billion. Target had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 3.24%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.24%.

Target Company Profile

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.