Target Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:TGT)

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders bought 108,394 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 197% compared to the average volume of 36,536 call options.

Target Stock Up 2.9%

NYSE TGT traded up $3.41 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $121.85. 5,618,877 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,936,658. Target has a 12-month low of $83.44 and a 12-month high of $133.10. The firm has a market cap of $55.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 1.01. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.88.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The business had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Target will post 8.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.16% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Target during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Target during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Target by 245.6% during the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 273 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Target by 192.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Target from $91.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Target from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $91.00 to $116.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Target from $90.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Target has a consensus 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.