Target (NYSE:TGT) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyTarget Corporation (NYSE:TGT – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $126.22 and last traded at $125.9610, with a volume of 1125815 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $123.91.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Target from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Mizuho set a $120.00 price target on Target in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.32.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on TGT
Target Stock Performance
The company has a market cap of $57.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $117.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.61.
Target (NYSE:TGT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. Target had a return on equity of 22.25% and a net margin of 3.54%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.41 earnings per share. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Target Corporation will post 8.69 earnings per share 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 $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s payout ratio is presently 56.09%.
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 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 owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. The trade was a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Target by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,267,577 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $113,702,000 after acquiring an additional 124,371 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 38,819 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,482,000 after acquiring an additional 11,378 shares during the period. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,236,000. LJI Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 446.4% during the 3rd quarter. LJI Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,836 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,138,000 after acquiring an additional 19,474 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY lifted its position in shares of Target by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 177,721 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,942,000 after acquiring an additional 19,492 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
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.