Hayek Kallen Investment Management Trims Stock Holdings in Target Corporation $TGT

Hayek Kallen Investment Management reduced its position in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 55.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,229 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,606 shares during the quarter. Hayek Kallen Investment Management’s holdings in Target were worth $469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its position in Target by 290.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 10,209 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 7,596 shares during the last quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 24.6% during the third quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 111,358 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,989,000 after buying an additional 21,990 shares during the period. Distillate Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target during the third quarter worth about $18,328,000. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP purchased a new position in shares of Target during the third quarter worth about $2,173,000. Finally, Ceeto Capital Group LLC increased its position in Target by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ceeto Capital Group LLC now owns 13,613 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Target from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Target from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $116.45.

Target Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE:TGT opened at $117.35 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $112.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.43, a PEG ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.94. Target Corporation has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $126.00.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The company had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.09%.

Key Stories Impacting Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Michael Fiddelke is cutting prices on roughly 3,000 apparel, home and daily‑essentials items to drive traffic and regain share — a clear, market‑visible action intended to boost comps and curb share loss to discount rivals. Target Accelerates Growth Plan With Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: UBS highlights Target’s commitment to a self‑funded turnaround, noting management plans to deploy roughly $2 billion in 2026 to execute price/mix, inventory and marketing initiatives — a capital commitment that suggests management confidence and could reassure investors about execution. UBS: Target investing $2 billion to execute turnaround in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target to $140 (maintaining a Buy), which can lift sentiment and provide cover for momentum buying as investors re‑rate the stock on the turnaround thesis. DA Davidson Raises Target (TGT) PT to $140
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage frames the moves as a needed response to lost share versus discount competitors; the narrative supports a plausible recovery but execution risk remains high — context piece on the strategy and competitive positioning. Target’s Been Falling Behind Discount Retail Rivals. Its New CEO Wants to Change That.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market writeups and bullish theses debate valuation (TGT’s P/E and forward estimates) and whether the turnaround will restore prior margins — useful background but outcome‑dependent. Is Target Corporation (TGT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters and others caution that past price cuts produced only short‑lived sales bumps, raising execution risk that current cuts may not sustainably grow traffic or margin. New Target CEO slashes prices. Previous cuts offered short-lived sales boost.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing consumer protest over prior DEI decisions remains active in some locales, a reputational/traffic risk that could blunt the effectiveness of promotional moves. Boycott of Target over DEI cuts still active, local organizers say

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.