Target Corporation $TGT Stake Lessened by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. reduced its Target stake by 12.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,215 shares and leaving it with 57,883 shares worth about $5.66 million.
• Several analysts recently raised their price targets on Target, though the overall consensus remains Hold with an average price target of $118.04. Morgan Stanley, Truist, Sanford C. Bernstein, BMO Capital Markets, and JPMorgan all adjusted their outlooks upward.
• Target reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $2.44 per share and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.14 per share, payable June 1, implying an annual yield of 3.6%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. cut its holdings in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,883 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 8,215 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Target were worth $5,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in TGT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Target by 101.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $822,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Target by 39.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,040,000 after purchasing an additional 11,047 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Target by 22.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 69,660 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,872,000 after purchasing an additional 12,948 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Target by 8.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,860 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $18,832,000 after purchasing an additional 14,195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in Target by 11.0% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 272,787 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $26,910,000 after purchasing an additional 27,063 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TGT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Target from $90.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Target from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $91.00 to $116.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Target from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Target from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $118.04.

Insider Activity

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

Target Trading Down 0.6%

Target stock opened at $125.18 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $121.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.47. 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 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 1.01.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The firm had revenue of $30.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.41 EPS. The company's revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.02 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Target's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.09%.

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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