Target Corporation $TGT Stock Holdings Lessened by Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC sharply cut its Target stake by 79.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 36,073 shares and ending with 9,076 shares worth about $887,000.
• Several institutional investors made small adjustments to Target positions, while insiders also sold shares, including CAO Matthew A. Liegel and insider Cara A. Sylvester.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally cautious: Target has a Hold consensus rating with an average price target of $126.11, even as the company beat earnings expectations, raised its dividend, and shares recently traded near $135.29.

Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 79.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,076 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 36,073 shares during the period. Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC's holdings in Target were worth $887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC lifted its stake in Target by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the retailer's stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Neumann Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC now owns 13,280 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its position in Target by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,209 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $900,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc lifted its position in Target by 11.4% in the 2nd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 1,013 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total transaction of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on TGT shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Target from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Target from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Target from $132.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $126.11.

Target Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $135.29 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $125.42 and a 200-day moving average of $113.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $61.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.00. Target Corporation has a twelve month low of $83.44 and a twelve month high of $136.14.

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

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is a positive change from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Target's payout ratio is currently 60.24%.

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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