Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Takes $477,000 Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 4,876 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $477,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Target by 101.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $822,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Target by 39.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 11,047 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Target by 22.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 69,660 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,872,000 after acquiring an additional 12,948 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Target by 8.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,860 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,832,000 after acquiring an additional 14,195 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in Target by 11.0% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 272,787 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,910,000 after acquiring an additional 27,063 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target Trading Down 0.4%

Target stock opened at $125.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 1.01. Target Corporation has a 12-month low of $83.44 and a 12-month high of $133.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.61.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $25.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.66 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.30 earnings per share. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.14 per share. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TGT has been the topic of several research reports. Argus set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research note on Friday. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $144.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Target from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $125.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Target News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Target’s first-quarter earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $1.71 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $25.44 billion topping estimates. Management also said the results validate its refreshed strategy, citing 6.7% sales growth and 4.4% traffic growth, while raising its outlook. Article: TGT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Early Strategy Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their price targets after the earnings report, including DA Davidson to $155 from $140 with a buy rating, Telsey Advisory Group to $150 from $148 with an outperform rating, and Robert W. Baird to $135 from $125. These upgrades suggest analysts see more upside in Target’s recovery. Article: Analyst price target increases for Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional commentary highlighted Target’s long-term turnaround potential, with one analysis asking whether the stock could reach $175 by 2027, but the piece was largely speculative rather than based on a new fundamental catalyst. Article: Prediction: Can Target Stock Reach $175 by 2027?
• Negative Sentiment: Not all the news was upbeat: Freedom Capital downgraded Target to hold from strong-buy, and some recent articles warned that competition from Walmart and Costco, plus concerns about consumer sentiment, could pressure the turnaround if spending weakens. Article: Target downgrade and cautionary commentary

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.