Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Acquires 83,913 Shares of Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group increased its Target stake by 174% in the fourth quarter, buying 83,913 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 132,145 shares worth about $12.9 million.
• Target reported better-than-expected first-quarter results, with EPS of $1.71 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $25.44 billion topping estimates. The company also raised its outlook and said sales grew 6.7% year over year.
• Target declared a quarterly dividend of $1.14 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 3.6%, while analysts currently have a consensus Hold rating with an average price target of $125.93.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 174.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 132,145 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 83,913 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Target were worth $12,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Target by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,925,898 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,195,953,000 after buying an additional 6,481,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Target by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,648,065 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,377,031,000 after buying an additional 911,964 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in Target by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,913,883 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $170,278,000 after buying an additional 533,416 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Target by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,162,050 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $311,911,000 after buying an additional 461,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec raised its stake in Target by 1,593.8% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 439,839 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $39,454,000 after buying an additional 413,871 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Target

In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Target Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of TGT stock opened at $125.62 on Monday. Target Corporation has a 52-week low of $83.44 and a 52-week high of $133.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $25.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. Target's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be paid a $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on TGT. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Target from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Target from $121.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Evercore set a $130.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $125.93.

Trending Headlines about Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Target’s first-quarter earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $1.71 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $25.44 billion topping estimates. Management also said the results validate its refreshed strategy, citing 6.7% sales growth and 4.4% traffic growth, while raising its outlook. Article: TGT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Early Strategy Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their price targets after the earnings report, including DA Davidson to $155 from $140 with a buy rating, Telsey Advisory Group to $150 from $148 with an outperform rating, and Robert W. Baird to $135 from $125. These upgrades suggest analysts see more upside in Target’s recovery. Article: Analyst price target increases for Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional commentary highlighted Target’s long-term turnaround potential, with one analysis asking whether the stock could reach $175 by 2027, but the piece was largely speculative rather than based on a new fundamental catalyst. Article: Prediction: Can Target Stock Reach $175 by 2027?
• Negative Sentiment: Not all the news was upbeat: Freedom Capital downgraded Target to hold from strong-buy, and some recent articles warned that competition from Walmart and Costco, plus concerns about consumer sentiment, could pressure the turnaround if spending weakens. Article: Target downgrade and cautionary commentary

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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