Target Corporation $TGT Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC cut its Target stake by 39.7% in the second quarter, selling 52,150 shares and retaining 79,111 shares valued at approximately $10.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.73% of Target.
• Target reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.11 versus the $2.35 consensus and revenue of $26.54 billion, up 5.3% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $9.90 to $10.90.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $159.52. Target also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, or $4.64 annually, yielding about 2.8%.

Empowered Funds LLC decreased its position in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,111 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 52,150 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Target were worth $10,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total value of $2,634,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 56,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,684,490.76. This trade represents a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 926 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total transaction of $151,410.26. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,613.66. This represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on TGT. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Target from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on Target from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $124.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Target from $129.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $159.52.

Target Price Performance

Target stock opened at $163.14 on Friday. Target Corporation has a 52-week low of $83.44 and a 52-week high of $170.75. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $144.21 and a 200-day moving average of $129.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The business had revenue of $26.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.05 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.84 EPS for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.18%.

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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