Target Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:TGT)

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders purchased 328,752 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 408% compared to the typical daily volume of 64,730 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on TGT. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Target from $93.00 to $80.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $108.00 price target on Target in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 price objective (down from $94.00) on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Target from $87.00 to $80.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in Target by 192.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Target during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Tripletail Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Target during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Target News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management reshuffle aims to accelerate growth — Target named long‑time executive Lisa Roath operating chief and announced several leadership moves to strengthen merchandising and the guest experience under CEO Michael Fiddelke, signaling a clearer operational focus. Target Announces Executive Leadership Changes to Accelerate Growth, Confirms Q4 Financial Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Higher frontline store staffing to improve customer experience — Target plans to shift spending toward more store labor and longer frontline hours to address out‑of‑stocks and checkout issues, which could support sales recovery if execution improves. Target steps up investment in store staffing, cuts about 500 other roles to help fix customer experience
• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven inventory planning highlighted as core to the turnaround — company is leaning on AI to reduce in‑stock gaps and prioritize high-impact items, a structural improvement that could lift sales and margins over time. AI Is Becoming the Backbone of Target’s Ambitious Retail Turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: some analysts see TGT as potentially undervalued given earnings revisions and long‑term recovery prospects, but views vary — this is background context rather than an immediate catalyst. Is Target (TGT) Stock Undervalued Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: About 500 roles cut in distribution/regional offices — Target will eliminate roughly 500 non‑store roles while reallocating funds to stores; layoffs can reduce costs but may create short‑term execution risk and negative press. Target steps up investment in store staffing, cuts about 500 other roles, CNBC reports

Target Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Target stock traded down $2.36 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $113.16. 4,875,547 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,556,379. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $51.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 1.14. Target has a 1 year low of $83.44 and a 1 year high of $132.47. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $102.18 and its 200 day moving average is $96.63.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.07. Target had a net margin of 3.58% and a return on equity of 22.74%. The business had revenue of $25.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $25.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Target has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.000-8.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $4.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.34%.

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.