Arax Advisory Partners Decreases Holdings in Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Arax Advisory Partners cut its Target stake by 54.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 16,362 shares and leaving it with 13,465 shares worth about $1.32 million.
• Target reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.71 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $25.44 billion versus $24.66 billion expected, while raising FY 2026 guidance to 7.50–8.50 EPS.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $126.11.

Arax Advisory Partners cut its stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 54.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,465 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 16,362 shares during the period. Arax Advisory Partners' holdings in Target were worth $1,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Target by 101.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Target by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 11,047 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Target by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 69,660 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,872,000 after acquiring an additional 12,948 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Target by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,860 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,832,000 after buying an additional 14,195 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Target by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 272,787 shares of the retailer's stock worth $26,910,000 after buying an additional 27,063 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total transaction of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,782,127.70. This trade represents a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Target Price Performance

NYSE TGT opened at $133.14 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $125.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.03. Target Corporation has a 52-week low of $83.44 and a 52-week high of $137.87. The company has a market cap of $60.47 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.00.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $24.66 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. Target's dividend payout ratio is 60.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on TGT shares. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Target from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Target from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Target from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Target from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Target from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $126.11.

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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