Target Corp. earnings surpassed analysts’ expectations for the first quarter. The retail behemoth also reiterated its guidance for the full-year.
Adjusted earnings for the three months ending in April came in at $1.53 per share, which represents a +15% surge from the same period last year and is higher than analysts’ estimates of $1.43 per share (based on Refinitiv data).
Total revenue increased just under +1% to $17.63 billion, exceeding analysts' estimates of $17.52 billion. The +4.8% growth in same-store sales, beating estimates of +4.2%, marked the company’s ninth consecutive quarterly increase.
Target’s comparable digital sales soared +42% year-over-year. Online sales now account for 7.1% of Target’s retail sales, up from 5.2% a year ago.
For full fiscal year 2020 (ending in early January), Target expects low to mid-single digit growth for same store sales. It projects both adjusted and GAAP earnings of $5.75 to $6.05 per share for the year, in line with its earlier expectations.
Sergey Savastiouk, Ph.D. has a degree in Applied Mathematics from Moscow University and has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, investor, manager, and mathematician. His professional expertise is in applied mathematics, mathematical modeling, system and pattern analysis, and software and hardware system integration. He has served as the CEO of several hi-tech start-up companies and nonprofit organizations, which has given him proven capabilities in business strategy for high-tech start-up companies, market assessment, company formation, team building, product development, marketing, and sales. He has published numerous articles in journals and magazines on related fields. As a retail investor, he spent 15 years developing his proprietary trading and quantitative algorithms (now Tickeron’s A.I.), which brought him significant returns in trading the stock market. His current work and goal in founding Tickeron is to bring professional, sophisticated stock market analysis capabilities to retail investors via an easy-to-use interface.
On October 14, 2026, the Stochastic Oscillator for TGT moved out of oversold territory and this could be a bullish sign for the stock. Traders may want to buy the stock or buy call options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 57 instances where the indicator left the oversold zone. In 39 of the 57 cases the stock moved higher in the following days. This puts the odds of a move higher at over 68%.
Following a +3.05% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where TGT advanced for three days, in 197 of 299 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 66%.
TGT may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on October 23, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on TGT as a result. In 57 of 87 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 66%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for TGT turned negative on October 26, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 52 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In 35 of the 52 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at 67%.
TGT moved below its 50-day moving average on October 23, 2026 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend.
The 10-day moving average for TGT crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on October 07, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In 10 of 14 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 71%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where TGT declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 62%.
The Aroon Indicator for TGT entered a downward trend on October 14, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 11 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of 35 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 36 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 40 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. TGT’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 77 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (3.782) is normal, around the industry mean (5.626). P/E Ratio (15.344) is within average values for comparable stocks, (23.906). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (1.972) is also within normal values, averaging (2.171). TGT has a moderately high Dividend Yield (0.031) as compared to the industry average of (0.010). P/S Ratio (0.654) is also within normal values, averaging (1.008).
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 100 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. TGT’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 58, placing this stock worse than average.
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
a department and discount store
Industry DiscountStores