Target(US:TGT)2025-11-26 17:34Financial Performance - GAAP diluted earnings per share were $1.51, and adjusted diluted earnings per share were $1.78, reflecting a decrease of 18.2% and 3.9% respectively compared to the prior year[59]. - Net sales for the third quarter were $25.3 billion, a decrease of 1.5% from the comparable prior-year period, with operating income of $0.9 billion, down 18.9%[65]. - Comparable sales decreased by 2.7%, driven by a 2.2% decrease in traffic and a 0.5% decrease in average transaction amount[71]. - Net earnings for the three months ended November 1, 2025, were $689 million, a decrease of 19.3% compared to $854 million in the same period last year[94]. - Cash flows from operating activities decreased to $3.5 billion for the nine months ended November 1, 2025, down from $4.1 billion in the prior year, attributed to lower net earnings and inventory purchases[100]. Cost and Expenses - The after-tax return on invested capital (ROIC) for the trailing twelve months was 13.4%, down from 15.9% in the prior year[60]. - The gross margin rate for the three months ended November 1, 2025, was 28.2%, slightly down from 28.3% in the prior year[78]. - Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) expense rate increased to 21.9% from 21.3% in the prior year, impacted by business transformation costs[83]. - GAAP diluted earnings per share for the three months ended November 1, 2025, was $1.51, while adjusted EPS was $1.78, reflecting a business transformation cost adjustment of $161 million[91]. Business Transformation - The company is undergoing a multi-year business transformation initiative, which may incur additional costs in future periods[63]. - Target Circle Card penetration was 16.9% for the three months ended November 1, 2025, down from 17.7% in the prior year[74]. Inventory and Liquidity - Inventory increased to $14.9 billion as of November 1, 2025, compared to $12.7 billion in February 2025, reflecting seasonal inventory build ahead of the holiday sales period[101]. - Cash and cash equivalents were $3.8 billion as of November 1, 2025, compared to $4.8 billion in February 2025, indicating a decrease in liquidity[99]. - The company believes its sources of liquidity will be adequate to meet contractual obligations, working capital, planned capital expenditures, and execute share repurchase programs[110]. Debt and Credit - The company issued $1.0 billion of unsecured debt in both March and June 2025, and repaid $1.5 billion of unsecured debt in April 2025[107]. - As of November 1, 2025, the company's credit ratings were A2 (Moody's), A (S&P), and A (Fitch) for long-term debt, and P-1 (Moody's), A-1 (S&P), and F1 (Fitch) for commercial paper[106]. - The company has a new committed $1.0 billion 364-day unsecured revolving credit facility expiring in October 2026, alongside a $3.0 billion unsecured revolving credit facility expiring in October 2028[108]. Tax and Dividends - The effective income tax rate decreased to 19.8% for the three months ended November 1, 2025, down from 21.7% in the prior year, mainly due to benefits from tax credits[88]. - Dividends paid totaled $518 million for the three months ended November 1, 2025, representing a per share increase of 1.8% compared to the same period last year[103]. Market and Risk Management - There have been no material changes in primary risk exposures or management of market risks since the last disclosure[115]. - The company does not expect any recently issued accounting pronouncements to materially affect its financial statements[111]. - Forward-looking statements include expectations regarding future financial performance, liquidity sources, and capital expenditures[113].