Target's latest value push comes as retailers compete for increasingly price-conscious shoppers ahead of a crowded holiday promotional period.

  • Target is cutting prices across apparel, footwear and home products, with select items now priced at least 20% below last year’s levels.
  • Target's Circle Deal Days will run Oct. 6 to Oct. 7 alongside Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, while Walmart's Fall Deals event begins Oct. 5.
  • According to The Fly, Mizuho lowered Walmart's price target to $125 from $130 but maintained an 'Outperform' rating, citing the early-stage impact of agentic AI on shopping behavior.

Target Corp. (TGT) announced Tuesday that it is lowering prices on nearly 2,000 home, apparel, and accessories items as holiday shopping gets underway, adding to more than 10,000 price reductions the retailer has made over the past year.

Target (TGT) shares were down 1.19% at the time of writing on Tuesday, while Walmart Inc.(WMT) stock was down 2.45%.

The latest reductions cover women's, men's, infant and toddler apparel, shoes and home products. Target said select apparel items are now priced 20% or more below last year's levels.

The company said pricing, promotions and availability may vary by location and Target.com, and that the program excludes Alaska and Hawaii.

Walmart, Target Ramp Up Holiday Promotions

Target's latest price cuts come as major retailers ramp up promotions ahead of the holiday shopping season. Walmart is scheduled to run its Fall Deals event from Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, while Target's Circle Deal Days will run Oct. 6 to Oct. 7, coinciding with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days.

The retail push comes against a backdrop of weaker U.S. consumer confidence. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell 6.7 points to 81.9 in September from 88.6 in August, marking its lowest reading since 2014. Consumers also became less positive about current business conditions and the labor market during the month.

Meanwhile, Mizuho analyst David Bellinger lowered Walmart's price target to $125 from $130 while maintaining an 'Outperform' rating.

According to TheFly, the analyst made the adjustment after attending RetailClub's AI conference. Bellinger said Mizuho expects agentic AI to increasingly influence shopping behavior, while noting that the impact is still in its early stages.

TGT, WMT: Retail View

Retail sentiment on Stocktwits remained ‘Bearish’ for WMT over the past 24 hours, with message volumes at ‘Normal’ levels. Meanwhile, TGT maintained a ‘Bullish’ sentiment rating, with ‘Normal’ message volumes.

On a year-to-date basis, TGT shares have climbed more than 57%, significantly outpacing WMT, which has fallen approximately 5.6% over the same period.

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