Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Invests $1.38 Million in Target Corporation $TGT

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 10,532 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,376,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Target in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of Target by 245.6% in the first 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. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations: Target reported $26.54 billion in sales, up 5.3% year over year and above the $26.13 billion consensus estimate. Reported EPS was $4.11 versus expectations of $2.35, while comparable sales rose 3.8% and comparable traffic increased 3.6%. Target Corporation Reports Second Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance was raised: Target now expects fiscal 2026 EPS of $9.90 to $10.90, well above the previous outlook and the roughly $7.72 analyst consensus cited in the reports. Management also lifted its annual sales outlook, projecting approximately 5% growth. Target lifts annual forecasts again
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability received a major boost: A nearly $1 billion tariff refund materially benefited quarterly earnings, helping Target deliver a substantial EPS beat. Investors also welcomed signs that pricing actions, refreshed categories and digital initiatives are improving demand. Target rises on Q2 beat and outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Digital discovery is expanding: Target said traffic from artificial-intelligence platforms is growing, adding another potential source of online customer acquisition as overall digital and store traffic improve. Target touts AI-driven traffic growth

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Target from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Wolfe Research set a $169.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $153.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Target from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $145.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of Target 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 transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Target Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $159.11 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.02, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.97. Target Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $161.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.93.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. The firm had revenue of $26.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.15 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. Target's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.05 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is a boost from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target's payout ratio is 61.29%.

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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