Optas LLC Takes Position in Target Corporation $TGT

Optas LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 5,724 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $560,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of TGT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 101.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $822,000 after buying an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,040,000 after buying an additional 11,047 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 69,660 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,872,000 after buying an additional 12,948 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 8.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 190,860 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,832,000 after buying an additional 14,195 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of Target by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 272,787 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,910,000 after buying an additional 27,063 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target Price Performance

Shares of Target stock opened at $132.32 on Wednesday. Target Corporation has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $133.10. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $118.59 and its 200 day moving average is $104.67. The stock has a market cap of $59.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 1.03. 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 (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a return on equity of 22.25% and a net margin of 3.54%.The company had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. Target’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $108.00 price target on Target in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Telsey Advisory Group raised Target from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $110.00 to $145.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Evercore set a $125.00 price target on Target in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim increased their price target on Target from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Target from $91.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.39.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Target news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,423,038.17. This trade represents a 14.46% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

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.