Target (NYSE:TGT) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Target to “strong-buy” from “buy,” although the broader analyst consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $159.52.
• Target reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.11 versus the $2.35 consensus and revenue of $26.54 billion, up 5.3% year over year.
• Target shares opened at $164.15, near their 12-month high of $170.75; insiders recently sold shares, while institutional investors own approximately 79.73% of the stock.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on TGT. Roth Capital restated a "neutral" rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Target from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Argus set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Target from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $170.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $159.52.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $164.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.99. The business's 50 day moving average is $146.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.57. Target has a 12-month low of $83.44 and a 12-month high of $170.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. Target had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 4.08%.The business had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.05 EPS. The company'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. Research analysts expect that Target will post 8.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 926 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,005,613.66. This represents a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total transaction of $2,634,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 56,981 shares in the company, valued at $9,684,490.76. This represents a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Target in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company's stock.

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.

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