Gradient Investments LLC Cuts Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Gradient Investments cut its Target position by 10.4% in the second quarter, selling 44,524 shares and retaining 381,676 shares worth approximately $49.9 million. Hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own 79.73% of Target.
• Target reported quarterly EPS of $1.71, exceeding the $1.47 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $25.44 billion. The company guided for fiscal 2026 EPS of $7.50–$8.50.
• Target raised its quarterly dividend from $1.14 to $1.16 per share, equivalent to a 3.1% annualized yield. Shares traded near $149.50, while analysts maintained a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $136.89.

Gradient Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 381,676 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 44,524 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC owned about 0.08% of Target worth $49,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wynn Capital LLC lifted its position in Target by 0.9% during the second quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 8,455 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,104,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in Target by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC grew its stake in Target by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 2,474 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $300,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Target by 3.4% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,478 shares of the retailer's stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Target by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,163 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,971,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $149.50 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $135.01 and a 200-day moving average of $124.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $67.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.97. Target Corporation has a twelve month low of $83.44 and a twelve month high of $150.07.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The business had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is a boost from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Target's payout ratio is 60.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the insider owned 45,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TGT. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Target from $124.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research raised Target from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Target from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Target from $129.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.89.

Target 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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