135,156 Shares in Target Corporation $TGT Purchased by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 135,156 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $16,381,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the 4th quarter worth $587,903,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Target during the fourth quarter worth about $257,571,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 243.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,870,210 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $280,563,000 after purchasing an additional 2,035,298 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Target by 6,639.1% in the 4th quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,912,963 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $186,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884,577 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Target by 104.7% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 65,505 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,403,000 after buying an additional 1,448,146 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target Stock Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $139.98 on Friday. Target Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $83.44 and a fifty-two week high of $142.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $129.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.98.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. This is a boost from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TGT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Target from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 6th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Target from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Target from $120.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Target from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $131.96.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 45,930 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. This represents a 17.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% 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.