Target (NYSE:TGT) Given "Buy" Rating at Guggenheim

Key Points

• Guggenheim reaffirmed its Buy rating on Target and set a $175 price target, implying 7.48% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: MarketBeat reports a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $161.70, with 13 Buy, 17 Hold, and three Sell ratings, plus one Strong Buy.
• Target reported quarterly earnings of $4.11 per share, beating the $2.35 consensus estimate, while revenue of $26.54 billion also topped expectations and rose 5.3% year over year.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Guggenheim in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $175.00 price objective on the retailer's stock. Guggenheim's target price indicates a potential upside of 7.48% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on TGT. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Target from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $154.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Zacks Research raised Target from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Wolfe Research set a $169.00 price target on Target in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $142.00 price objective (up from $114.00) on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $161.70.

Target Stock Up 0.6%

Target stock opened at $162.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $73.97 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.94. 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 has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $170.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $156.46 and a 200 day moving average of $135.87.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. The business had revenue of $26.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.13 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.05 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Target will post 8.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total transaction of $2,634,380.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 56,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,684,490.76. This trade represents a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total value of $151,410.26. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Saudi Central Bank lifted its stake in Target by 89.7% in the 2nd quarter. Saudi Central Bank now owns 31,700 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,140,000 after purchasing an additional 14,986 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP grew its position in shares of Target by 204.3% during the second quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP now owns 55,154 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,204,000 after purchasing an additional 37,030 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its position in shares of Target by 4,119.2% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 372,558 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $48,660,000 after purchasing an additional 363,728 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the second quarter valued at about $833,000. Finally, Neumann Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the third quarter worth about $2,457,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

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.

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