Target (NYSE:TGT) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $126.22 and last traded at $125.9610, with a volume of 1125815 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.91.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on TGT shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Target from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Telsey Advisory Group upgraded Target from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $110.00 to $145.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Target from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $63.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.32.

Target Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $117.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $103.61. The firm has a market cap of $57.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.03.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $30.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total value of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Target by 10.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,267,577 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $113,702,000 after acquiring an additional 124,371 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in Target by 41.5% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 38,819 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,482,000 after acquiring an additional 11,378 shares in the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Target during the third quarter worth $1,236,000. LJI Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Target by 446.4% during the third quarter. LJI Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,836 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,138,000 after acquiring an additional 19,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY raised its position in Target by 12.3% during the third quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 177,721 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,942,000 after acquiring an additional 19,492 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.