VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Decreases Stock Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems reduced its Target stake by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 15,700 shares and leaving it with 54,400 shares worth about $5.3 million.
• Target reported quarterly earnings of $2.44 per share, beating estimates, while revenue came in slightly below expectations and was down 1.5% from a year earlier.
• The retailer announced a $1.14 quarterly dividend payable June 1, and Wall Street sentiment remains mixed-to-positive, with several analysts raising price targets even as the consensus rating stays at Hold.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its position in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 22.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,400 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 15,700 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in Target were worth $5,318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC now owns 17,209 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,682,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares during the last quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs increased its holdings in shares of Target by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs now owns 19,549 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,148 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Target by 29.6% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 347,385 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $33,957,000 after purchasing an additional 79,386 shares during the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Finally, Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Target by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. now owns 87,300 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,534,000 after purchasing an additional 23,300 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of Target stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. The trade was a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Target Price Performance

TGT stock opened at $121.47 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $55.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 1.01. Target Corporation has a 52-week low of $83.44 and a 52-week high of $133.10.

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

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be paid a $1.14 dividend. 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 3.8%. Target's payout ratio is presently 56.09%.

Key Target News

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Target to $140 from $135 and kept an Overweight rating, citing an improved setup for the shares. Wells Fargo, Barclays Lift Target (TGT) Price Targets Following Improved Setup
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial lifted its price target to $123 from $121 and maintained a Hold rating, signaling modest upside from current levels. Target price target raised by Truist Financial Corporation
• Positive Sentiment: Target saw unusually heavy call option buying, suggesting traders are positioning for a potential move higher ahead of earnings. Target Sees Unusually High Options Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Target to report earnings growth next week, but one report noted the company may not have the ideal setup for an earnings beat. Target (TGT) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Target is set to release quarterly earnings on Wednesday, keeping the stock in focus as investors look for guidance on sales trends and margins. Target (TGT) to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Underperform rating and warned that Target faces a tougher sales environment in Q2 as tax refund benefits fade, even though it lifted its Q1 EPS estimate. Target faces tougher sales backdrop after tax refund boost fades

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on TGT shares. Evercore set a $125.00 price target on Target in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Target from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Telsey Advisory Group raised Target from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the company from $110.00 to $145.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $118.71.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.