Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Target has a consensus “Hold” rating from 33 analysts, with 3 sells, 19 holds and 11 buys. The average 12-month price target from brokers is about $125.93.
• The company beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.71 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $25.44 billion versus $24.66 billion forecast. Revenue rose 6.7% year over year, and Target reiterated FY 2026 EPS guidance of 7.50 to 8.50.
• Target also raised its dividend, declaring a quarterly payout of $1.14 per share, or $4.56 annualized, for a 3.6% yield. Meanwhile, shares were trading around $128.25, near their 52-week high of $133.10.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the thirty-three analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nineteen have given a hold recommendation and eleven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $125.9286.

Several brokerages have commented on TGT. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Target from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore set a $130.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Target from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Freedom Capital cut shares of Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC raised its position in shares of Target by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 2,474 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its position in Target by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 2,951 shares of the retailer's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in Target by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,163 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,971,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC raised its position in Target by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the retailer's stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of TGT stock opened at $128.25 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $58.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.01. Target has a 52 week low of $83.44 and a 52 week high of $133.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $123.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.49.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.66 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The business'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 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Analysts predict that Target will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.14 per share. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.24%.

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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