Target Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:TGT)

Key Points

• Target saw unusually heavy options activity on Tuesday, with investors buying 108,394 call options — about 197% above the typical volume.
• Insider selling and institutional buying both appeared in recent filings, including CAO Matthew A. Liegel selling 2,053 shares while institutions continued to add or expand positions.
• Target’s stock rose and the company remains on solid footing, trading at $121.85, above its 200-day average, while it also reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS and reaffirmed a quarterly dividend of $1.14 per share.

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 108,394 call options on the company. This is an increase of 197% compared to the typical volume of 36,536 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Phillip James Consulting Co. bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 1st quarter worth about $226,000. ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 21,751 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,636,000 after acquiring an additional 2,017 shares during the last quarter. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 1st quarter worth about $546,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 22.9% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 521 shares of the retailer's stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target in the 1st quarter worth about $69,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company's stock.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT traded up $3.41 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $121.85. 5,618,877 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,936,658. The company's 50-day moving average is $121.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $55.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 1.01. Target has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $133.10.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.52 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The business's revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.41 EPS. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Target will post 8.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

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 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TGT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $132.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on shares of Target from $63.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $118.64.

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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