Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its Target stake by 8.2% in the first quarter, ending with 5.41 million shares valued at about $656.1 million. Institutional ownership remains high, with funds holding 79.73% of Target’s stock.
• Target reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.71 beating estimates and revenue of $25.44 billion topping expectations. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to 7.50–8.50 EPS.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share from $1.14, implying an annualized dividend of $4.64 and a yield of 3.3%. Analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with a target price of $131.96.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 8.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,413,840 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 411,608 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.19% of Target worth $656,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Target during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Target by 245.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 273 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Target by 134.9% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 296 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $139.93 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $129.35 and its 200 day moving average is $120.58. The company has a market cap of $63.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Target Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $144.40.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 3.24%.The business had revenue of $25.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current 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 is a boost from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Target's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. Freedom Capital downgraded Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Target from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore set a $130.00 target price on shares of Target in a report on Monday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Target from $140.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Target from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $131.96.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total value of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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