Target CorpTGTBUYNov 15, 2023Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 05, 2026. Market Open.
Poor merchandising decisions, problems managing inventory, the in-store experience kept declining and couldn't compete on price. Many problems. Last month, a new CEO started. Shares gradually rose since last December. Now trades at under 12x forward PE and yields 5.5%. Is up 23% this year. Yesterday, they reported slightly light revenues but gross margins expanded a lot, beating EPS. TGT expects net sales to grow 2% and adjusted operating martin by 4.8%. You have to trust management will deliver later in the year to buy it. They will invest $2 billion this year to boost growth in stores especially in sports, beauty, baby, and home. Will use AI. He believes in the new CEO. The PE is too low to ignore.
We would consider it a HOLD; it is not perfect, and there are issues to be solved, but this is reflected in the very low valuation. It has recently received some broker upgrades and estimates have been ticking up slightly. It did beat earnings last quarter. Some patience will be required here but we think the overall trend should be up.
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It surged today after reporting. Target has lagged its peers because it hasn't produced positive same-store sales, a key metric, in ages. They reported big profits, though same-store sales and total revenue were okay and in-line. But they slashed inventories 14% YOY, less theft and transport costs normalize. Huge earnings beat. Pays a 3.4% yield which will look more attractive if the Fed holds rates, and if inflation declines, then the consumer will have more spending money.