Equity Brief · Consumer Defensive2026-09-22
TGT·Consumer Defensive

Next reporting 18 Nov 2026

Target Corporation

I · AI Analysis

The brief

Target sells a wide range of products including apparel, groceries, electronics, home goods, and household essentials through its physical stores and Target.com [Yahoo Finance]. The retailer competes in the discount store category, focusing on offering style and value to draw shoppers across income levels [Yahoo Finance]. Target is deploying artificial intelligence to personalize online shopping experiences and help customers discover products they are more likely to purchase [Zacks].

Target Corporation operates more than 1,900 general merchandise stores across the United States, selling everything from clothing and groceries to electronics and home goods [Yahoo Finance]. The company is gaining market share from competitors as shoppers seek better value, though consumer spending patterns show a split between higher-income customers who continue spending and lower- to middle-income shoppers who are pulling back [Barron's, Yahoo Finance Video]. Trailing-twelve-month revenue through 1 August 2026 reached $107.7B with a 5.6% operating margin, and the company carries a Health Score of 8.9/10 [Yahoo Finance, Sentinellis calculation].

Target shows solid financial health with an 8.9/10 Health Score, manageable debt, and positive free cash flow generation [Sentinellis calculation].

The brief AI analysisConfidence 8/10

Sentinellis health

Financially healthy

8.9/10

7.5+ strong · 4.5–7.5 moderate · under 4.5 weak

Profitability

16% of score10.0/10
Net margin+4.1%Gross margin+28.4%

Returns on capital

16% of score10.0/10
ROIC+14.8%Return on equity+24.6%

Growth & momentum

11% of score10.0/10
Revenue growth+5.3%Operating margin trend—· no data

Balance sheet

32% of score6.7/10
Current ratio1.0x· need > 1.2xNet debt / EBITDA1.5xInterest coverage13.5xDebt / equity1.08

Cash generation

16% of score10.0/10
Free cash flow$4.5BCash vs reported profit$8.7B vs $4.4B

Value creation

11% of score10.0/10
ROIC vs cost of capital+7.8pp

Sentinellis calculation from the published statements — not a score reported by any data source. Each category is scored on the checks that had data; missing inputs are excluded rather than counted as failures.

Market capitalisation

$71.6B

Revenue (TTM)

$107.7B

Explainers

How we read these numbers

Plain-English guides · no account needed

II · Recent news

What moved

6 stories · ranked by relevance

  • Company2026-09-18

    Target (TGT) Up 1% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue? - Yahoo Finance

    Yahoo Finance

  • Company2026-09-18

    Target (TGT) Stock Fair Value Rises After Q2 Spurs Higher Analyst Targets - Yahoo Finance

    Yahoo Finance

  • Company2026-09-21

    Target Uses AI Personalization to Deepen Digital Guest Engagement

    Zacks

  • Company2026-09-17

    Is Target Corp (TGT) Overvalued After 3.3% Rally? GF Value Says - GuruFocus

    GuruFocus

  • Company2026-09-17

    Target Stock Up More Than 30% in 6 Months: Is It Too Late to Buy TGT? - Zacks Investment Research

    Zacks

  • Sector2026-09-18

    Ross Stores and Target Are Winning Shoppers From Rivals

    Barron's

Premium · Free with any account

Four senior executives sold $11.9M of stock on the open market within a 60-day window—CEO Brian Cornell sold $8.2M, CFO Melissa Kremer sold $2.6M, and two other officers sold smaller amounts—with zero insider purchases during the period [SEC Form 4]. While insider sales are often planned or tax-related, the concentration of selling by C-suite executives within a short timeframe is notable.

1 of 4 risks in this report

Risks

4

Opportunities

5

Red flags

1

Leadership

9

9 more findings in the full report — free with any account.

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III · Related

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Produced 22 Sept 2026, 07:04 UTC

Figures come from company filings and market data. The Sentinellis health score and the wording attached to it are our interpretation of those figures, not numbers the company reported.

Not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell. Sentinellis holds no positions in the companies it covers, takes no payment from issuers, and has no broker referral arrangements.

How every figure and score is calculated