HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT – Free Report) by 55.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 240,448 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 299,598 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $23,504,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in Target by 10.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,267,577 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $113,702,000 after acquiring an additional 124,371 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its holdings in Target by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 342,487 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,721,000 after acquiring an additional 45,803 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new stake in Target in the 3rd quarter worth $8,694,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its holdings in Target by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 155,222 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,173,000 after acquiring an additional 10,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Target by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 513,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $46,027,000 after acquiring an additional 18,777 shares in the last quarter. 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’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 Trading Down 0.4%
Target (NYSE:TGT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.35 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Target’s payout ratio is presently 56.09%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages recently commented on TGT. Wolfe Research raised shares of Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Target from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Target from $121.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Target has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.93.
View Our Latest Report on Target
Insider Buying and Selling at Target
In other news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. The trade was a 14.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.
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.
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