Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Target Corporation $TGT

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 7.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 97,069 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,419 shares during the quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $12,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Target by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 58,212,397 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,690,262,000 after purchasing an additional 286,499 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Target during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,054,604,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Target by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,772,533 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,692,265,000 after purchasing an additional 124,468 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Target by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,065,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,668,194,000 after purchasing an additional 561,898 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Target during the 2nd quarter valued at about $831,466,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Target

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Target reported second-quarter sales of $26.54 billion, up 5.3% year over year and ahead of estimates. Comparable sales rose 3.8%, supported by a 3.6% increase in traffic, while earnings significantly exceeded Wall Street expectations. Target Corporation Reports Second Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal 2026 outlook, calling for approximately 5% sales growth and EPS of $9.90 to $10.90. Improving traffic, digital sales, merchandising and execution suggest that Target’s turnaround is gaining traction. Target lifts annual forecasts again
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets following the earnings report. RBC increased its target to $178 and maintained an “outperform” rating, implying meaningful upside, while Citigroup and TD Cowen raised targets to $160. Analyst price-target updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Target’s dividend remains attractive to income investors, with a quarterly payout of $1.16 per share after a recent increase. However, the stock’s roughly 15% one-month rally leaves less room for additional gains if operating momentum slows. Target versus Walmart dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter profitability benefited from an approximately $994 million tariff refund. Investors may therefore view part of the earnings beat and upgraded outlook as nonrecurring, raising concerns about the quality and sustainability of underlying profits. Target raises guidance as tariff refunds boost profitability
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risks are limiting enthusiasm. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating, while Citi and TD Cowen remain effectively neutral or hold-rated, suggesting analysts believe much of the recovery is already reflected in TGT’s share price. Target valuation analysis

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total value of $1,258,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of TGT opened at $158.04 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $140.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $127.75. The company has a market capitalization of $71.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Target Corporation has a 1-year low of $83.44 and a 1-year high of $161.98.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The business had revenue of $26.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.05 earnings per share. Target’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 10.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target’s payout ratio is presently 61.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on Target from $147.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Target from $166.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Target from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Freedom Capital downgraded shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $159.52.

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.