165,109 Shares of Target Corporation $TGT Bought by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

Key Points

• AEGON Asset Management UK acquired 165,109 Target shares in the third quarter, valued at about $25.9 million; institutions and hedge funds own 79.73% of the stock.
• Target reported quarterly EPS of $4.11, beating the $2.35 consensus, while revenue of $26.54 billion also exceeded estimates and rose 5.3% year over year.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $161.70. Target announced a quarterly dividend of $1.16 per share, equivalent to a 2.8% yield.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 165,109 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $25,871,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in TGT. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Target by 28.5% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management boosted its holdings in Target by 30.7% in the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 277 shares of the retailer's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Target by 4.1% in the second quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,747 shares of the retailer's stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Target by 3.5% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,173 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Target by 2.1% in the third quarter. Allegiance Financial Group Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,744 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $587,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Matthew Liegel sold 926 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,005,613.66. The trade was 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 available at this link. Also, insider Melissa 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 sale, the insider directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on TGT shares. Wall Street Zen raised Target from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, September 5th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Target from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Evercore set a $165.00 price objective on Target in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Target from $161.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $124.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $161.70.

Target Stock Up 4.7%

TGT opened at $165.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.99. The company has a market capitalization of $75.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.94. The stock's fifty day moving average is $156.46 and its 200-day moving average is $135.32. Target Corporation has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $170.75.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $1.76. The company had revenue of $26.54 billion during 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%. Target's revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.05 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. Target's payout ratio is presently 48.18%.

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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