Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys 83,913 Shares of Target Corporation $TGT

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 174.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,145 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 83,913 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Target were worth $12,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in TGT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,925,898 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,195,953,000 after purchasing an additional 6,481,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 37,648,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,377,031,000 after purchasing an additional 911,964 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,913,883 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $170,278,000 after purchasing an additional 533,416 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,162,050 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $311,911,000 after purchasing an additional 461,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 1,593.8% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 439,839 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,454,000 after purchasing an additional 413,871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on TGT. Mizuho set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Target in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Target from $148.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Target from $63.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $125.93.

Target News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Target’s first-quarter earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $1.71 versus $1.47 expected and revenue of $25.44 billion topping estimates. Management also said the results validate its refreshed strategy, citing 6.7% sales growth and 4.4% traffic growth, while raising its outlook. Article: TGT Q1 Earnings Call Highlights Early Strategy Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms raised their price targets after the earnings report, including DA Davidson to $155 from $140 with a buy rating, Telsey Advisory Group to $150 from $148 with an outperform rating, and Robert W. Baird to $135 from $125. These upgrades suggest analysts see more upside in Target’s recovery. Article: Analyst price target increases for Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional commentary highlighted Target’s long-term turnaround potential, with one analysis asking whether the stock could reach $175 by 2027, but the piece was largely speculative rather than based on a new fundamental catalyst. Article: Prediction: Can Target Stock Reach $175 by 2027?
• Negative Sentiment: Not all the news was upbeat: Freedom Capital downgraded Target to hold from strong-buy, and some recent articles warned that competition from Walmart and Costco, plus concerns about consumer sentiment, could pressure the turnaround if spending weakens. Article: Target downgrade and cautionary commentary

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Target Stock Performance

Target stock opened at $125.62 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Target Corporation has a 1-year low of $83.44 and a 1-year high of $133.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $122.49 and its 200 day moving average is $109.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.35 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 60.24%.

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.