Investors Purchase High Volume of Target Call Options (NYSE:TGT)

Posted by Brian Himes on Jul 31st, 2026

Target logo Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT – Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders acquired 44,303 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 59% compared to the average volume of 27,924 call options.

Target Stock Performance

TGT opened at $144.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Target has a 12-month low of $83.44 and a 12-month high of $147.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $132.49 and a 200-day moving average of $123.03. The stock has a market cap of $65.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.98.

Target (NYSE:TGT – Get Free Report) last posted 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. Target had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 3.24%.The business had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Target will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Target’s payout ratio is currently 60.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TGT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Evercore set a $130.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Target from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Argus set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, June 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $133.07.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on TGT

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total transaction of $1,258,900.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Target

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. Brighton Jones LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 3,059 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Target by 39.9% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,040,000 after purchasing an additional 11,047 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Target by 22.8% in the second 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. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 14,195 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 27,063 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Target Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.