Target (NYSE:TGT) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Target (NYSE:TGT) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Target from $146.00 to $153.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Target from $165.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Target from $166.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Target from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Target from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $159.33.

Target Price Performance

Target stock opened at $151.81 on Monday. Target has a 52 week low of $83.44 and a 52 week high of $170.75. The firm has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.99. The business’s fifty day moving average is $157.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.27.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $1.76. The business had revenue of $26.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. Target’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.05 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Target will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total transaction of $151,410.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at $2,005,613.66. This represents a 7.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 15,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total value of $2,634,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,684,490.76. The trade was a 21.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in Target by 19.9% during the third quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 2,616 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares during the period. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its position in Target by 102.0% in the 3rd quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 33,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,293,000 after purchasing an additional 17,060 shares during the period. Ifrah Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at $201,000. Krilogy Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 1.5% during the third quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 9,058 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walker Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 3rd quarter worth about $219,000. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Target

Target Corporation is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer that operates stores and digital shopping channels under the Target brand. The company sells a broad assortment of products, including apparel and accessories, beauty and personal care items, home furnishings, electronics, groceries, toys, seasonal merchandise and everyday essentials.

Target offers private-label brands alongside national brands and provides services such as Order Pickup, Drive Up and same-day delivery through Shipt.