Target (NYSE:TGT) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $144.25 and last traded at $142.5770, with a volume of 532398 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $140.21.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on TGT. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Target from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Target in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Argus set a $150.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Target from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $131.96.

Target Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $129.05 and a 200 day moving average of $120.29. The company has a market capitalization of $64.72 billion, a PE ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $25.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. Target had a return on equity of 22.92% and a net margin of 3.24%.Target’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Target Corporation will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Target’s payout ratio is currently 60.24%.

Insider Transactions at Target

In related news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total value of $1,258,900.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,782,127.70. This trade represents a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Target

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ballast Inc. boosted its position in Target by 19.0% in the second quarter. Ballast Inc. now owns 19,604 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,560,000 after purchasing an additional 3,130 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,269 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Tema ETFs LLC increased its position in shares of Target by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 9,058 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 870 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $543,000. Finally, Sax Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Target in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.73% 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.