Target Corporation $TGT Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) by 3.3% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 355,585 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,004 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Target were worth $55,717,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Target in the second quarter worth about $5,054,604,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Target during the second quarter valued at approximately $831,466,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Target by 8.2% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,413,840 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $656,091,000 after acquiring an additional 411,608 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 1.8% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,575,880 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $597,656,000 after purchasing an additional 82,268 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Target by 12.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,514,522 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $589,642,000 after purchasing an additional 514,155 shares during the period. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Target from $170.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird set a $170.00 target price on Target in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Evercore set a $165.00 target price on shares of Target in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Target from $129.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Target from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.33.

Target Price Performance

NYSE:TGT opened at $152.40 on Thursday. Target Corporation has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $170.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm has a market cap of $69.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.83, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $157.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.74.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 19th. The retailer reported $4.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $1.76. The business had revenue of $26.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $26.13 billion. Target had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 23.23%. The business’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.05 EPS. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.900-10.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that Target Corporation will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Target’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 926 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.51, for a total transaction of $151,410.26. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 12,266 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,005,613.66. This trade represents a 7.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Melissa K. Kremer sold 15,500 shares of Target stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.96, for a total transaction of $2,634,380.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 56,981 shares in the company, valued at $9,684,490.76. This trade represents a 21.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer that operates stores and digital shopping platforms under the Target name. The company sells a broad assortment of products, including apparel and accessories, beauty and household essentials, electronics, toys, groceries, home furnishings, and seasonal merchandise.

Target also offers services designed to support omnichannel shopping, including order pickup, Drive Up, same-day delivery, and shipping through its digital channels.