VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Takes Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems initiated a Target position of 239,100 shares valued at approximately $31.2 million, while institutional investors collectively own 79.73% of the retailer.
• 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–$10.90.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $159.52 target price. Target also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, implying a 2.8% annualized yield.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 239,100 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $31,229,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned 0.05% of Target at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in Target during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Target during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Matthew Liegel sold 926 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total transaction of $151,410.26. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,266 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,005,613.66. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Melissa Kremer sold 15,500 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Target from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Target from $129.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings raised Target from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Wolfe Research set a $169.00 target price on Target in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Target has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $159.52.

Target Price Performance

Shares of TGT opened at $164.15 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $147.45 and a 200 day moving average of $132.02. Target Corporation has a twelve month low of $83.44 and a twelve month high of $170.75.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $1.76. The company had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.13 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.05 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 12th. This is an increase from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Target's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.18%.

About Target

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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