Target Corporation
🔔 Watch stock
Assessment
Our Rating
A journalistic assessment by our editorial team at the time of the deep dive — it rates the company, not the entry point. Not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell.
The business works in principle, but one material question is open. As long as it stays open, our findings do not carry a quality verdict.
Why this colour
Whoever holds the stock keeps a dividend covered at about 56 percent of earnings, with a 54-year history, and a comeback that got its first receipt in Q1 fiscal 2026 — the filings offer no reason to walk away. Whoever wants to buy fresh is additionally betting that traffic and margin hold their level, that the tariff lottery does not turn negative, and that the next dividend raise is more than a tiptoe; the measuring points sit in every quarterly report (10-Q): traffic trend, IEEPA refunds, buyback volume. The decision is yours.
What the thesis turns on
Assessment: Opportunities & Risks
Target is the case of a royal dividend streak standing on a narrowed foundation: 54 years of raises and a dividend every quarter since 1967 stand against three years of falling sales, a boycott year with a documented traffic loss and an unquantifiable tariff bill. The first quarter of 2026 delivered the first real proof of a turn — traffic, margin and adjusted earnings all improved — while the GAAP optics remain distorted by the prior year's interchange windfall. Whoever invests here buys roughly 3.3 percent in dividend yield with royal lineage and bets that a comeback quarter becomes a comeback year. Not investment advice.
Dividend streak & coverage
A dividend every quarter since the 1967 IPO (10-Q as of 05/02/2026), raised 54 consecutive years (curated S&P list, as of June 2026); payout ratio about 56 percent of GAAP earnings and roughly 70 percent of free cash flow in FY 2025 — funded, but the raises have shrunk to 1.8 percent a year.
Growth & core business
Three straight down years in sales ($109.1 billion → $104.8 billion, FY 2022 through 2025), adjusted EPS −14.5 percent in FY 2025, operating margin at 4.9 percent, ROIC down from 15.1 to 12.4 percent — the foundation under the streak has narrowed.
Comeback quarter Q1 FY 2026
Sales +6.7 percent, comparable sales +5.6 percent with traffic +4.4 percent (prior year: −2.4), gross margin 29.0 after 28.2 percent, adjusted operating income +29.1 percent (10-Q as of 05/02/2026) — a broad reversal, but one quarter so far.
Reputation & customer base
"Consumer boycotts organized throughout 2025" sits verbatim in the risk factors of the FY 2025 10-K; full-year traffic −2.2 percent. A polarized customer base that can stay away in organized fashion — in either direction — remains a structural risk for a traffic-driven business model.
Tariffs & supply chain
About half the merchandise imported, China the largest single source; IEEPA tariffs struck down (02/20/2026), refunds trickling in ("not material" so far, nothing on the balance sheet), while new Section 122 tariffs are already in place — two open lottery tickets, net effect unquantifiable per the company itself.
Valuation
P/E around 18.5 trailing, P/S around 0.6, price to operating cash flow around 9, dividend yield around 3.3 percent (data as of mid-July 2026) — a fair price for reliability without proof of growth; scanner confluence: Aristocrats rank 5 (US) plus two value rankings.
Worth Noting
TGT entered the research list through the in-house Dividend Aristocrats scanner: rank 5 of the US selection (25 hits, sorted by relative strength, as of July 18, 2026); simultaneous hits in the P/S and P/CF rankings — "royalty" and "bargain bin" in the same finding.
The 54 consecutive increase years come from the scanner's curated S&P 500 Aristocrats list (as of June 2026); the SEC filings themselves verbatim document "dividends every quarter since 1967" and the most recent raises of 1.8 percent each.
All GAAP-versus-adjusted comparisons carry the $593 million interchange effect of FY 2025 ($0.97 per share in the Q1 prior-year base); analyses are evergreen, daily prices are not a buy argument. Target's fiscal year ends in late January/early February — every annual figure carries that offset.
Stock Watch
This analysis is as of August 26, 2026. Stock Watch will tell you what's changed at TGT since then.
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Price history
Chart
Interactive price chart (TradingView).
52-week range: 83.70 $ to 169.90 $ · Last price: 159.80 $ (As of: September 17, 2026)
Key figures
Key figures at a glance
Every figure we hold for this stock, grouped by topic. The question mark next to a label explains what the number means.
Basics
Performance
Technical Indicators
Calculated from the price history · as of 09/18/2026
Valuation
Profitability
Balance Sheet & Safety
Growth
Dividend
Quality & Screener
Comparison
Industry comparison
The stock alongside the largest companies in the same group. The median row is the middle value of the companies shown above — not of the whole industry.
Industry: Discount Stores
| Company | Market cap ($B) | P/E | EV/EBITDA | Gross Margin % | EBIT Margin % | Sales Growth (Year) % | Perf. 1Y % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target Corporation TGT | 72.6 | 21.0 | 9.1 | 28.4 | 4.5 | -1.7 | 87.0 |
| Walmart Inc. WMT | 834.0 | 38.3 | 19.5 | 24.8 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 3.3 |
| Costco Wholesale Corp COST | 397.1 | 46.5 | 26.9 | 12.9 | 3.7 | 8.2 | -6.6 |
| Dollar General Corporation DG | 27.2 | 17.6 | 12.1 | 31.2 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 20.1 |
| Dollar Tree Inc DLTR | 22.0 | 20.0 | 9.9 | 37.2 | 9.1 | 10.4 | 17.0 |
| BJs Wholesale Club Holdings Inc BJ | 11.9 | 22.8 | 12.8 | 18.2 | 3.7 | 4.7 | -6.0 |
| BBB Foods Inc. TBBB | 6.1 | – | 101.7 | 16.4 | -0.1 | 27.6 | 93.0 |
| PriceSmart Inc PSMT | 5.2 | 33.6 | 15.5 | 17.6 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 45.3 |
| Ollie's Bargain Outlet Hldg OLLI | 4.6 | 19.6 | 11.6 | 40.6 | 10.6 | 16.6 | -44.4 |
| Median of companies shown | 22.0 | 21.9 | 12.8 | 24.8 | 4.5 | 7.3 | 17.0 |
Based on the most recently reported figures. Only stocks from the same trading venue are lined up, so the market caps are counted in one currency. Compare in a chart →
Fiscal years
Annual Figures
Fiscal years from the audited annual reports, oldest first. EBIT is the operating profit before interest and taxes; total assets are everything the company owns.
Revenue, operating income and net income per fiscal year $M
Revenue Operating income Net income
| Fiscal Year | Revenue ($M) | EBIT ($M) | Net Income ($M) | EPS ($) | Operating Cash Flow ($M) | Equity ($M) | Total Assets ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 70,271 | 4,864 | 2,734 | 4.69 | 5,436 | 10,953 | 37,431 |
| 2018 | 72,714 | 4,224 | 2,914 | 5.29 | 6,923 | 11,651 | 40,303 |
| 2019 | 75,356 | 4,110 | 2,937 | 5.51 | 5,973 | 11,297 | 41,290 |
| 2020 | 78,112 | 4,658 | 3,281 | 6.36 | 7,117 | 11,833 | 42,779 |
| 2021 | 93,561 | 6,539 | 4,368 | 8.64 | 10,525 | 14,440 | 51,248 |
| 2022 | 106,005 | 8,946 | 6,946 | 14.10 | 8,625 | 12,827 | 53,811 |
| 2023 | 109,120 | 3,848 | 2,780 | 5.98 | 4,018 | 11,232 | 53,335 |
| 2024 | 107,412 | 5,707 | 4,138 | 8.94 | 8,621 | 13,432 | 55,356 |
| 2025 | 106,566 | 5,566 | 4,091 | 8.86 | 7,367 | 14,666 | 57,769 |
| 2026 | 104,780 | 5,117 | 3,705 | 8.13 | 6,562 | 16,165 | 59,490 |
Quarters
Quarterly Figures
Each bar is one quarter, the last one is the most recent. Use the switch to step through the individual figures.
Revenue & Profit
Cash Flow
Balance Sheet
Margins
Per Share
Click the chart or tab into it, then use ← and → to step through the periods.
None of the selected stocks reports this metric. Pick another metric or switch between annual and quarterly.
· Total · per year
These companies report in different currencies — switch on “Indexed” or pick a margin for a fair comparison.
The figures could not be loaded right now.
Source: fundamental data
| Quarter | EPS (Earnings Per Share) | EPS YoY (%) | Sales ($M) | Sales YoY (%) | Net Margin (%) | OCF ($M) | FCF ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025: Q1 | 2.41 | -19.40 | 30,915 | -3.10 | 3.60 | 3,289 | 2,366 |
| 2025: Q2 | 2.27 | 11.80 | 23,846 | -2.80 | 4.30 | 275 | -515 |
| 2025: Q3 | 2.05 | -20.30 | 25,211 | -0.90 | 3.70 | 2,083 | 1,009 |
| 2025: Q4 | 1.51 | -18.20 | 25,270 | -1.60 | 2.70 | 1,127 | 149 |
| 2026: Q1 | 2.30 | -4.60 | 30,453 | -1.50 | 3.40 | 3,077 | 2,287 |
| 2026: Q2 | 1.71 | -24.50 | 25,443 | 6.70 | 3.10 | 716 | -319 |
| 2026: Q3 | 4.11 | 100.50 | 26,539 | 5.30 | 7.10 | 3,803 | 2,434 |
What Do These Terms Mean?
- EPS (Earnings Per Share):
- Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
- YoY (Year over Year):
- Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
- Sales:
- All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
- Net Margin:
- What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
- OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
- The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
- FCF (Free Cash Flow):
- Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.
Screening
Appears in These Scanners
This stock currently matches 3 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.
Aktien.Guide
Dividends
Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. View all scanners
Outlook
Analysts & Price Target
Combined picture of the price targets and recommendations of every analyst covering the stock. Price targets are expectations for the next 12 months, not promises — and they often follow the price rather than predict it.
Distribution of Recommendations
Estimates by Fiscal Year
| Fiscal Year | EPS Estimate ($) | EPS Range ($) | Revenue Estimate ($M) | Expected Growth | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/31/2027 | 10.24 | 8.79 – 10.77 | 110,192 | 35.2% | 36 |
| 01/31/2028 | 9.54 | 8.48 – 10.30 | 113,719 | -6.8% | 36 |
Average of the analyst estimates for the coming fiscal years. The range shows how far the most optimistic and the most cautious estimate sit apart — the wider it is, the less certain the expectation.
Valuation
What is priced in?
Instead of guessing what the stock is worth, we turn the question around: what free cash flow growth has to happen for today’s market value to add up? The assumptions behind it can be moved.
Today’s market value implies roughly 4.6% growth in free cash flow per year over ten years (assumptions: discount rate 10.0%, terminal growth 2.5%).
| Free cash flow (last twelve months) | $4.55B |
|---|---|
| Market cap | $72.58B |
| Free cash flow in year ten | $7.15B |
| Terminal value as a share of market value | 51.9% |
For comparison: over the past five years free cash flow shrank by 18.5% per year.
It shows which assumption is built into today’s price, not whether that assumption will hold. Every assumption can be changed with the sliders; the figures move with them.
A simplified model calculation — not a forecast and not a recommendation.
AI classification
AI Rating
Die Geschäftsberichte belegen breiten operativen KI-Einsatz: KI-Fähigkeiten in Sortimentsgestaltung, Planung, Bestandsmanagement und Personalisierung, der KI-Chatbot Store Companion, die KI-gestützte Werbe-Optimierung „Precision Plus by Roundel“ sowie eine Konzern-Umbauinitiative, die ausdrücklich auf KI und Daten setzt — aber keine KI-Produkte oder -Dienste als Umsatzquelle. Die KI-Risikopassagen (Wettbewerber-KI, KI-Werbekonkurrenz für Roundel, KI-gestützte Cyberangriffe) bleiben generische Wettbewerbs- und Technologie-Floskeln ohne Verkauft- oder Bedroht-Qualität; die vier jüngsten 10-Q enthalten keinerlei KI-Bezug.
View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„Enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities across merchandising, planning, inventory management, and personalization, and expanded the use of AI-powered tools to simplify work for store and headquarters teams"
[Wir haben 2025] die Fähigkeiten der Künstlichen Intelligenz in Sortimentsgestaltung, Planung, Bestandsmanagement und Personalisierung ausgebaut und den Einsatz KI-gestützter Werkzeuge ausgeweitet, um die Arbeit der Filial- und Zentralteams zu vereinfachen
10-K · 2026-03-11 · View SEC filing
„Invested in new artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including modernized AI-powered inventory management systems and Store Companion, an AI-powered chatbot designed to make team members' jobs easier and enhance the shopping experience"
[Wir haben 2024] in neue Technologie der Künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) investiert, darunter modernisierte KI-gestützte Bestandsmanagement-Systeme und Store Companion, einen KI-gestützten Chatbot, der die Arbeit der Mitarbeiter erleichtern und das Einkaufserlebnis verbessern soll
10-K · 2025-03-12 · View SEC filing
„This initiative is intended to simplify cross-functional ways of working, increase role clarity, leverage technology (including artificial intelligence) and data to enhance decision-making, and reduce costs."
Diese Initiative soll bereichsübergreifende Arbeitsweisen vereinfachen, Rollen klarer zuschneiden, Technologie (einschließlich Künstlicher Intelligenz) und Daten für bessere Entscheidungen nutzen und Kosten senken.
10-K · 2026-03-11 · View SEC filing
Rated on July 18, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built
Growth
Growth Score
Ten checks against the annual reports — each one passed counts a point.
- Revenue grows by more than 15% a year over three years -1.3%
- More than 10% revenue growth is expected for the coming year 2.9%
- Share count grows by less than 3% a year -0.7%
- Revenue growth plus cash-flow margin add up to at least 40 ("Rule of 40") 1.0%
- Gross margin at 40% or higher and without meaningful erosion 27.9%
- Goodwill from acquisitions does not grow faster than revenue 1.1%
- Net debt below twice EBITDA 1.8 x EBITDA
- Operating cash flow covers the profits of the last three years 10,616 m
- Return on capital at 15% or higher, or up versus two years ago 13.4%
- Insiders hold at least 10% or are net buyers 0.3%
A criterion without figures counts neither as passed nor as failed; a score is only produced from 7 judgeable criteria upwards. Source: fundamental data. All ten criteria in detail
Quality check
AAQS
5/10The AAQS (AlleAktien Quality Score) checks 10 quality criteria on growth, profitability, and balance-sheet strength — per the methodology developed and published by AlleAktien, calculated by us from our own fundamental data. A stock counts as a quality stock from 9 out of 10 points. Where a company has a shorter listing history, we calculate over the fiscal years available (at least five).
- Sales growth 10Y > 5% 4.5%
- Exp. sales growth 3Y > 5% 4.2%
- EBIT growth 10Y > 5% 0.6%
- Exp. EBIT growth 3Y > 5% 8.3%
- Net debt < 4x EBIT 2.9x
- EBIT positive, 10Y straight 10
- Max. EBIT decline < 50% 57.0%
- Return on equity > 15% 23.9%
- ROCE > 15% 13.4%
- Expected return > 10% 12.6%
View stocks with the full AAQS score · Read the methodology at AlleAktien
Source: fundamental data
Insiders
Insider Transactions
Reportable transactions by officers and major shareholders from SEC Form 4 filings. "Other" includes things like stock grants and option exercises without a buy/sell character.
| Date | Person | Role | Type | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2026 | Cornell Brian C | Executive Officer | Sell | 50,000 | 163.56 | 8,177,780 |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Kremer Melissa K | Executive Officer | Sell | 15,500 | 169.96 | 2,634,318 |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Liegel Matthew A | Chief Accounting Officer | Sell | 926 | 163.51 | 151,410 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | DePinto Joseph Michael | Director | Other | 1,007 | 0.00 | – |
The company
About the Company
Target Corporation ist ein Einzelhändler für allgemeine Waren in den USA. Es bietet Bekleidung für Frauen, Männer, junge Erwachsene, Kinder und Babys sowie Schmuck, Accessoires und Schuhe an, dazu Beautyprodukte wie Haut- und Badepflege, Kosmetik, Haarpflege, Mundpflege und Deodorant.
- Employees
- 400,000
- Headquarters
- Minneapolis, MN
- Address
- 1000 Nicollet Mall, 55403 Minneapolis, United States
- Phone
- 612 304 6073
- Website
- corporate.target.com
- IPO Date
- 04/06/1983
- ISIN
- US87612E1064
- Stock Split
- 2:1 on 07/20/2000
- Stock Split
- 2:1 on 05/01/1998
- Stock Split
- 959692:319897 on 07/18/1996
Management
| Name | Title | Birth Year |
|---|---|---|
| Brian C. Cornell | Executive Chair of the Board | 1959 |
| Michael J. Fiddelke | CEO & Director | 1977 |
| James Lee | Executive VP & CFO | 1975 |
| Melissa K. Kremer | Executive VP & Chief HR Officer | 1978 |
| Lisa R. Roath | Executive VP & COO | 1978 |
| Matthew A. Liegel | Senior VP, Chief Accounting Officer & Controller | 1977 |
| Pratabkumar Vemana | Executive VP and Chief Information & Product Officer | 1972 |
| John Hulbert | Vice President of Investor Relations | – |
| Grant B. McGee J.D. | Executive VP and Chief Legal & Compliance Officer | 1981 |
| Joe Contrucci | Senior Vice President of Stores Operations | – |
Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.
Filings
Company Filings (8-K)
An 8-K is the filing a US company must use to disclose material events immediately — takeovers, changes at the top, major contracts or payment troubles, for instance. The links open the original document at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
- 08/19/2026 TARGET CORP (TGT): Results of Operations and Financial Condition; Financial Statements and Exhibits SEC ↗
- 08/14/2026 TARGET CORP (TGT): Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement; Termination of a Material Definitive Agreement; Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant; Financial Statements and Exhibits SEC ↗
- 07/22/2026 TARGET CORP (TGT): Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers: Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers; Financial Statements and Exhibits SEC ↗
Data as of: September 17, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)
Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.