Robert W. Baird Issues Positive Forecast for Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Price

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird raised its price target on Target from $125 to $135, while keeping a neutral rating. The new target implies about 9.84% upside from the current share price.
• Target’s latest earnings came in ahead of expectations, with $1.71 EPS and $25.44 billion in revenue, and sales rose 6.7% year over year. The company also lifted its full-year outlook, signaling progress in its turnaround efforts.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed overall: the stock has an average Hold rating and average target price of $121.71, despite several firms recently raising their price targets. Shares opened at $122.91 and are near the upper end of their 52-week range.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the retailer's stock. Robert W. Baird's target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.84% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on TGT. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Target from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Target from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Target from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Target from $145.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Target currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $121.71.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $122.91 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Target has a fifty-two week low of $83.44 and a fifty-two week high of $133.10. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $122.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.26. The company has a market cap of $55.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 1.01.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The firm had revenue of $25.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Target's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares in the company, valued at $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.16% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in Target by 192.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Target reported strong first-quarter results, with earnings per share of $1.71 and revenue of $25.44 billion, both ahead of estimates. Sales rose 6.7% year over year, traffic increased 4.4%, and digital and membership-related revenue also improved. Target Corporation Reports First Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year sales outlook, signaling that its turnaround strategy under CEO Michael Fiddelke is gaining traction and that shoppers are responding better to refreshed products, stores, and category investments. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Management said Q1 results validate the refreshed strategy, with stronger traffic, improved comparable sales, and better performance across merchandise categories and channels. TGT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Early Strategy Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Target also named former Walmart executive Jeff England as its new supply chain and logistics chief, a move aimed at improving efficiency and execution as part of the broader turnaround. Reuters article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, investors are worried about cost pressures, execution risk, and weaker consumer sentiment, which could limit how much of the turnaround translates into profit improvement this year. Motley Fool article
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Capital downgraded Target from “strong-buy” to “hold,” adding to pressure on the stock and suggesting some analysts think much of the recent improvement is already reflected in the share price. Zacks.com

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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