Target (NYSE:TGT) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Target from “hold” to “buy,” adding to a mixed but generally cautious analyst outlook on the retailer.
• Target’s latest earnings beat expectations, reporting $1.71 EPS versus $1.47 expected and $25.44 billion in revenue, with revenue up 6.7% year over year.
• The stock traded around $122.52 and was down 1.1% on the day, while analysts currently show an average rating of “Hold” with an average target price of $125.93.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore set a $130.00 price target on Target in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Freedom Capital downgraded Target from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $125.93.

Target Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of TGT stock opened at $122.52 on Friday. Target has a 1-year low of $83.44 and a 1-year high of $133.10. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $124.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.02. 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 company has a market cap of $55.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.00.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 3.24%.The firm had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts expect that Target will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,423,038.17. The trade was a 14.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the insider directly owned 45,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. This trade represents a 17.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Target by 7.0% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,823 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 513 shares during the period. First Nebraska Trust Co acquired a new stake in Target in the first quarter valued at approximately $435,000. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Target by 527.5% in the first quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 753 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the period. Financial Solutions Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Target in the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in Target by 248.5% in the first quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 5,206 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 3,712 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised Target’s earnings estimates for FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029, signaling stronger expected profitability over the next several years. Target Corporation NYSE: TGT
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased quarterly EPS estimates for Q1 2028, Q1 2029, Q2 2028, and Q3 2028, which may reassure investors that earnings momentum is improving beyond the current year. Target Corporation NYSE: TGT
• Neutral Sentiment: Target is trending on Zacks.com and Yahoo Finance, suggesting elevated investor interest, but those items do not add new fundamental news by themselves. Is Trending Stock Target Corporation (TGT) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Current full-year EPS consensus remains at $8.35, so the revisions are supportive but not yet a major reset to near-term expectations. Is Trending Stock Target Corporation (TGT) a Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also trimmed some estimates, including Q4 2027 EPS, showing that the outlook is not uniformly improving across all time periods. Target Corporation NYSE: TGT

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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