Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Price

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its price target increased by Barclays from $91.00 to $108.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on TGT. DA Davidson set a $120.00 price target on Target in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Target from $88.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus dropped their target price on Target from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Target from $102.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Roth Mkm set a $88.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Target has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $114.90.

Target Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TGT opened at $120.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 1.12. Target has a 52 week low of $83.44 and a 52 week high of $126.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $30.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.52 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. Target’s revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.41 EPS. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Target will post 8.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.34%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc acquired a new stake in Target in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Target in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in Target by 192.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Key Target News

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company unveiled a multi‑year turnaround and incremental spending plan (store refreshes, payroll/training, assortment changes, AI personalization and same‑day/digital investments) that supports a return to growth and justifies the earlier rally. Target outlines strategic plan
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and margin improvement (adjusted EPS $2.44 vs. ~$2.16) plus strong free cash flow arguments (supporting dividend/buyback optionality) which drove a sizable short‑term rally. Q4 results press release
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokers raised price targets and issued upgrades (UBS, Oppenheimer, Guggenheim, Telsey and others), reflecting renewed investor confidence in the turnaround’s upside. Analyst reactions / price target moves
• Neutral Sentiment: Management issued FY 2026 EPS guidance above consensus (7.50–8.50 vs. ~7.33), signaling medium‑term improvement, but the company’s sales trajectory remains mixed (some categories growing, total revenue still down year‑over‑year). Guidance and sales context
• Neutral Sentiment: Firm is leaning into AI for personalization and same‑day delivery expansion — a potential multi‑quarter driver for digital sales if execution succeeds, but benefits will accrue gradually. AI personalization article
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 guidance was weak (management offered a low Q1 EPS guide below Street expectations), which introduces near‑term downside risk and explains some of the intraday profit‑taking. Guidance details
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and investors warned about execution risk — turning around categories, reworking store layouts and ramping AI are capital‑intensive and operationally complex; some firms (e.g., BofA, BNP Paribas Exane) remain cautious or retain underperform calls. Seeking Alpha critique

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.