Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $159.52

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Hold” consensus on Target, with 18 hold, 11 buy and 3 sell ratings. The average 12-month price target is $159.52, close to the stock’s reported $156.51 price.
• Target exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $4.11 in EPS versus the $2.35 consensus and $26.54 billion in revenue versus $26.13 billion expected. Revenue increased 5.3% year over year, and fiscal 2026 guidance is $9.90–$10.90 per share.
• Target declared a quarterly dividend of $1.16 per share, equivalent to a $4.64 annualized payout and a 3.0% yield. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company, while recent insider activity involved sales of shares.

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the thirty-two brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eighteen have given a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $159.52.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $154.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, August 20th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Target from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Evercore set a $170.00 price target on Target in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Target from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owned 56,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,684,490.76. This represents a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 926 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total transaction of $151,410.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,613.66. The trade was a 7.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,054,604,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Target by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,772,533 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,692,265,000 after purchasing an additional 124,468 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth approximately $831,466,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Target by 8.2% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,413,840 shares of the retailer's stock worth $656,091,000 after purchasing an additional 411,608 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Target by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,194,448 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $605,507,000 after purchasing an additional 142,937 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of TGT stock opened at $156.51 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.99. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $155.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $136.55. Target has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $170.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $1.76. The firm had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.13 billion. Target had a return on equity of 23.23% and a net margin of 4.08%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.05 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Target's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.18%.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer that operates stores and digital shopping channels under the Target brand. The company sells a broad assortment of products, including apparel and accessories, beauty and personal care items, home furnishings, electronics, groceries, toys, seasonal merchandise and everyday essentials.

Target offers private-label brands alongside national brands and provides services such as Order Pickup, Drive Up and same-day delivery through Shipt.

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