Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the thirty-four analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twenty have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $116.4483.

A number of research firms recently commented on TGT. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Target in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Target from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays increased their target price on Target from $91.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Target by 10.9% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,267,577 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $113,702,000 after purchasing an additional 124,371 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Target by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 38,819 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,482,000 after purchasing an additional 11,378 shares during the last quarter. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,236,000. QVR LLC acquired a new position in Target during the 2nd quarter valued at about $11,014,000. Finally, LJI Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Target by 446.4% in the 3rd quarter. LJI Wealth Management LLC now owns 23,836 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,138,000 after purchasing an additional 19,474 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Target News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New CEO Michael Fiddelke is cutting prices on roughly 3,000 apparel, home and daily‑essentials items to drive traffic and regain share — a clear, market‑visible action intended to boost comps and curb share loss to discount rivals. Target Accelerates Growth Plan With Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: UBS highlights Target’s commitment to a self‑funded turnaround, noting management plans to deploy roughly $2 billion in 2026 to execute price/mix, inventory and marketing initiatives — a capital commitment that suggests management confidence and could reassure investors about execution. UBS: Target investing $2 billion to execute turnaround in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target to $140 (maintaining a Buy), which can lift sentiment and provide cover for momentum buying as investors re‑rate the stock on the turnaround thesis. DA Davidson Raises Target (TGT) PT to $140
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage frames the moves as a needed response to lost share versus discount competitors; the narrative supports a plausible recovery but execution risk remains high — context piece on the strategy and competitive positioning. Target’s Been Falling Behind Discount Retail Rivals. Its New CEO Wants to Change That.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market writeups and bullish theses debate valuation (TGT’s P/E and forward estimates) and whether the turnaround will restore prior margins — useful background but outcome‑dependent. Is Target Corporation (TGT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters and others caution that past price cuts produced only short‑lived sales bumps, raising execution risk that current cuts may not sustainably grow traffic or margin. New Target CEO slashes prices. Previous cuts offered short-lived sales boost.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing consumer protest over prior DEI decisions remains active in some locales, a reputational/traffic risk that could blunt the effectiveness of promotional moves. Boycott of Target over DEI cuts still active, local organizers say

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $117.35 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $53.14 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 1.12. Target has a 12 month low of $83.44 and a 12 month high of $126.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $112.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.98.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.16 by $0.28. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The company had revenue of $30.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 anticipate that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Target’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.09%.

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.