Target Corporation $TGT Shares Sold by Morningstar Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management LLC cut its Target stake by 29.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,480 shares and leaving it with 20,451 shares valued at about $2.0 million.
• Target recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.71 versus estimates of $1.47 and revenue of $25.44 billion versus $24.66 billion expected, with revenue up 6.7% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.14 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 3.6%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with an average price target of $125.93.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 29.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,451 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 8,480 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Target were worth $1,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Auxano Advisors LLC grew its position in Target by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the retailer's stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Neumann Capital Management LLC grew its position in Target by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC now owns 13,280 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,298,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc grew its position in Target by 11.4% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 1,013 shares of the retailer's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Mission Wealth Management LP grew its position in Target by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 6,937 shares of the retailer's stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, JNBA Financial Advisors grew its position in Target by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 3,361 shares of the retailer's stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Stock Up 0.0%

TGT stock opened at $125.62 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $122.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.01. Target Corporation has a 12 month low of $83.44 and a 12 month high of $133.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.30 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Target Corporation will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on TGT shares. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on shares of Target from $63.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Roth Mkm restated a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Target from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $130.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $125.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

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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