Target (NYSE:TGT) Sets New 52-Week High on Earnings Beat

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) shares reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $119.65 and last traded at $116.4640, with a volume of 2609459 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $113.17.

The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a return on equity of 22.74% and a net margin of 3.58%.The business had revenue of $30.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.41 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS.

Target Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a $1.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Target’s payout ratio is 55.34%.

Target News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and margin improvement helped lift sentiment — adjusted EPS of $2.44 topped consensus and management highlighted margin gains even with softer sales. PR Newswire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $7.50–$8.50 (above consensus) — a signal investors see as evidence of a credible path back to growth. PR Newswire: Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Company unveiled a $2 billion incremental investment plan for 2026 (≈$1B capex, $1B ops) to refresh stores, boost payroll/training, upgrade assortment and accelerate tech/AI — concrete spending that supports the growth story. PR Newswire: Strategic Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Digital momentum and AI personalization initiatives (plus same‑day delivery expansion) were highlighted as an “inflection point” for e‑commerce and customer relevance — a strategic plus if execution follows. PYMNTS: AI & Personalization
• Neutral Sentiment: New CEO messaging—Fiddelke is publicly focused on growth and repositioning Target toward “busy families”—gives clarity on strategy but depends on execution risk and time to show results. Investopedia: CEO Focus
• Negative Sentiment: Top‑line weakness persists — Q4 revenue was slightly below estimates and full‑year sales have declined year‑over‑year, extending a multi‑year sales stagnation that the company must reverse. PR Newswire: Revenue Trend
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term guide disappointment — Q1 2026 EPS guidance landed well below Street expectations, which could mean volatility if investors focus on shorter‑term comps. PR Newswire: Q1 Guidance

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Target from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Wolfe Research upgraded Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Target from $80.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Target from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.72.

Institutional Trading of Target

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Target by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 20,163 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,971,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its position in Target by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Target by 32.3% in the 2nd quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 401 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its stake in Target by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 17,618 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,738,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $54.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.67 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $108.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

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.