JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Target (NYSE:TGT) Stock Price

Target (NYSE:TGT) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $115.00 to $120.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the retailer’s stock.

TGT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Target from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Target from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research upgraded Target from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Mizuho set a $120.00 price objective on Target in a research note on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Target in a report on Wednesday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twenty have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Target currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $115.76.

Target Stock Performance

Shares of TGT stock opened at $120.48 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.22. Target has a 12 month low of $83.44 and a 12 month high of $126.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.55 billion, a PE ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 1.12.

Target (NYSE:TGT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 3rd. The retailer reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $30.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.52 billion. Target had a net margin of 3.54% and a return on equity of 22.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. Target has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.300- EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. Analysts forecast that Target will post 8.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Target Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a $1.14 dividend. This represents a $4.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. Target’s dividend payout ratio is 56.09%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Target

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Target by 101.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $822,000 after acquiring an additional 3,059 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Target by 39.9% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 38,712 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,040,000 after buying an additional 11,047 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Target by 41.7% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 8,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $820,000 after buying an additional 2,448 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in shares of Target by 24.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,916 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $781,000 after buying an additional 1,579 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Target by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 12,478 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Target News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Target this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat + clear turnaround roadmap — Target beat adjusted EPS estimates and gave FY/Q1 guidance while unveiling a multi-year growth plan (store investments, remodels, tech/AI). That combination is the primary bullish catalyst. Margins Up, Foot Traffic Down
• Positive Sentiment: Large store expansion and remodel program — Target plans to open >30 stores in 2026 and has a long‑term target of ~300 new stores by 2035, plus >130 remodels this year, which supports comp and square‑foot growth expectations. Target Challenges Retail Rivals With 300-Store Growth Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Investment/AI narrative lifted sentiment — Management’s $2B+ fiscal‑2026 investment plan and AI-driven digital efforts were flagged as growth levers; headlines tied these moves to a notable intraday rally. Target Stock Rises 7% After Unveiling Bold Multi-Year Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — Several firms (UBS, Oppenheimer, Telsey, Guggenheim, BMO and others) raised targets and ratings after the investor day/earnings release, which supports momentum and institutional buying interest. (Multiple broker reports compiled across news outlets.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves — Some banks raised price targets but maintained neutral/market‑perform ratings (e.g., JPMorgan, Citigroup, Piper). Those changes are supportive but reflect cautious conviction.
• Negative Sentiment: Top‑line weakness and foot‑traffic headwinds remain — Revenue was down ~1.5% y/y in the quarter and commentary noted weaker foot traffic in some categories, a reminder that execution risk on the turnaround is real. Target: Sales Remain Weak, Shares Fairly Valued
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious / bearish analyst notes persist — Bank of America kept an underperform stance and some firms still express execution risk; BNP Paribas Exane’s underperform view (even with a higher PT) highlights downside scenarios if comps don’t recover. Target’s turnaround faces execution risks, says Bank of America

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.