Target (NYSE:TGT) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Target shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $145.09 and up 2.7% from the prior close. The stock’s rally followed quarterly results that beat expectations, with EPS of $1.71 versus a $1.47 consensus and revenue of $25.44 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Target has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $132.15, below its recent trading level. Price targets and ratings ranged from bullish upgrades to neutral and bearish assessments.
• Target increased its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, equivalent to a $4.64 annualized payout and a 3.2% yield. Institutional investors own approximately 79.7% of the company, while an insider recently sold 10,000 shares.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $145.09 and last traded at $145.4270, with a volume of 742820 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $140.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus set a $150.00 price target on Target in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Freedom Capital cut shares of Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Target from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $132.15.

Target Stock Up 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $65.49 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $131.31 and a 200-day moving average of $122.19.

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

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This is an increase from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Target's payout ratio is 61.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total value of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 45,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Winning Points Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target during the fourth quarter worth $611,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Target by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 6,194,448 shares of the retailer's stock worth $605,507,000 after buying an additional 142,937 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in Target by 41.8% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 111,001 shares of the retailer's stock worth $13,453,000 after buying an additional 32,746 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in Target during the 1st quarter valued at about $6,686,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,149,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

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.

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