Target falls as a Barclays downgrade pressures sentiment ahead of its next update

Target Corporation (TGT) is down 3.3% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The drop appears primarily tied to a fresh bearish analyst call that reignited concerns about Target’s ability to reaccelerate sales and protect margins in a competitive retail environment. With the stock already sensitive after recent volatility, the downgrade likely prompted incremental de-risking.

Details:

Barclays downgraded Target to Underweight from Equal Weight and kept a $91 price target, framing the risk that sales trends may continue to underperform.

The same note pointed to uncertainty around whether Target’s growth initiatives will require additional investment, which can weigh on near-term profit expectations.

Target’s most recent earnings update (released March 3, 2026) included a 2026 outlook that called for modest operating-margin improvement versus 2025, keeping investors focused on execution and expense discipline.

This could also be partly driven by broader caution toward discretionary retail names as investors reassess demand elasticity and promotional intensity into mid-2026 (speculation).

Sources:

Investing.com, Target Investor Relations

Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.

$TGT Insider Trading Activity

$TGT insiders have traded $TGT stock on the open market 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $TGT stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

MATTHEW A LIEGEL (Chief Accounting Officer) sold 2,053 shares for an estimated $240,593

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.

$TGT Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 727 institutional investors add shares of $TGT stock to their portfolio, and 858 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

UBS AM, A DISTINCT BUSINESS UNIT OF UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC removed 11,631,708 shares (-75.5%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $1,136,999,457
TOMS CAPITAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LP added 2,635,000 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $257,571,250
FMR LLC added 2,406,077 shares (+16.7%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $235,194,026
PACER ADVISORS, INC. removed 2,402,839 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $234,877,512
AQR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 2,035,298 shares (+243.8%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $198,950,379
HEALTHCARE OF ONTARIO PENSION PLAN TRUST FUND added 1,884,577 shares (+6639.1%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $184,217,401
ARROWSTREET CAPITAL, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP removed 1,485,943 shares (-99.7%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $145,250,928

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.

$TGT Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $TGT in the last several months. We have seen 3 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 2 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Argus Research issued a "Buy" rating on 12/01/2025
Bernstein issued a "Underperform" rating on 11/20/2025
DA Davidson issued a "Buy" rating on 11/20/2025
RBC Capital issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/20/2025
B of A Securities issued a "Underperform" rating on 11/20/2025

To track analyst ratings and price targets for $TGT, check out Quiver Quantitative's $TGT forecast page.

$TGT Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $TGT recently. We have seen 25 analysts offer price targets for $TGT in the last 6 months, with a median target of $120.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Michael Baker from DA Davidson set a target price of $140.0 on 03/10/2026
Christopher Horvers from JP Morgan set a target price of $120.0 on 03/05/2026
Greg Melich from Evercore ISI Group set a target price of $120.0 on 03/05/2026
David Belinger from Mizuho set a target price of $120.0 on 03/05/2026
Kate McShane from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $112.0 on 03/04/2026
Robert Ohmes from B of A Securities set a target price of $106.0 on 03/04/2026
Rupesh Parikh from Oppenheimer set a target price of $140.0 on 03/04/2026

This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.