Argent Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Argent Advisors Inc. sharply reduced its Target stake by 78.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 13,515 shares and leaving it with 3,730 shares valued at about $365,000.
• Several Target insiders sold shares recently, including CAO Matthew A. Liegel and executive Cara A. Sylvester, which may weigh on sentiment even though insider ownership remains low at 0.13%.
• Despite mixed analyst ratings, Target recently beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $1.71 and revenue of $25.44 billion, while paying a quarterly dividend of $1.14 per share for a 3.7% annualized yield.

Argent Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 78.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,730 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 13,515 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Target were worth $365,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Target in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its stake in shares of Target by 192.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Key Financial Inc grew its stake in shares of Target by 77.4% during the third quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 346 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Target by 168.9% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the retailer's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $240,591.07. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday. UBS Group upped their target price on Target from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup upped their target price on Target from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Target in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $123.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Friday, May 15th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.93.

Key Stories Impacting Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted Target’s earnings estimates for FY2027, FY2028 and FY2029, suggesting analysts see improving profitability over the next few years. Target earnings estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also raised near- to medium-term quarterly forecasts for Q2 2027, Q3 2027 and Q2 2028, which can be viewed as a sign of steadier earnings power. Target earnings estimate updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Target’s latest reported quarter had already beaten expectations, with revenue and EPS topping estimates and management guiding FY2026 EPS to $7.50-$8.50, so the stock is still trading against a generally solid earnings backdrop. Target quarterly earnings background
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks slightly lowered Q4 2027 and Q4 2028 EPS estimates, which may have tempered enthusiasm for the stock’s longer-term earnings trajectory. Target earnings estimate changes
• Negative Sentiment: A recent insider sale by an executive can sometimes add pressure on sentiment, even if it is not necessarily a fundamental red flag. Target insider sale

Target Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $124.02 on Friday. Target Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $133.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The business's 50 day moving average price is $124.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.94.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Target had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 3.24%.The firm had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.24%.

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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