Target (NYSE:TGT) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $126.22 and last traded at $125.9610, with a volume of 1125815 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.91.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on TGT shares. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Target from $120.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $108.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Target from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $116.32.

Target Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $57.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.16 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $117.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.97.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The company’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Target Corporation will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.09%.

Insider Activity at Target

In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TGT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 101.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $822,000 after purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Target by 39.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,040,000 after purchasing an additional 11,047 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 22.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 69,660 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,872,000 after purchasing an additional 12,948 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Target by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,860 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,832,000 after purchasing an additional 14,195 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of Target by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 272,787 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,910,000 after purchasing an additional 27,063 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.