Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys 1,884,577 Shares of Target Corporation $TGT

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 6,639.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,912,963 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,884,577 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Target were worth $186,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TGT. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Target in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Jessup Wealth Management Inc bought a new position in Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in Target by 192.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Target in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Target by 168.9% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Target

In other Target news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on TGT. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Target in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Target from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Target in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $103.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Target in a report on Thursday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $126.11.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $135.29 on Friday. Target Corporation has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $136.14. The company has a market cap of $61.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $125.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.50. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The firm had revenue of $25.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Target Corporation will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This is an increase from Target’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.24%.

Target 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.