Target reports stronger quarter as boycott drags on

Target reports – Target said first-quarter results beat expectations, with net sales up 6.7% year over year and earnings per share of $1.71. The company’s shares are up 30.17% since 2026 began, even as a national boycott organized by civil rights activists targeting its DEI co

For many customers, the boycott never really left the calendar. It has continued through the year, even as Target posts the kind of financial numbers that make Wall Street perk up.

On Wednesday, Target reported first-quarter earnings that included a 6.7% increase in net sales year-over-year. The retailer logged $25.4 billion in net sales and pointed to a 24.5% jump in non-merchandise sales—driven by Target Circle 360 membership revenues and the Target+ marketplace. Digital momentum also showed up in its comparable sales: Target said its digital comparable sales rose by 8.9%. helped by a 27% increase in same-day delivery tied to Target Circle 360.

The headline result was even more direct. Target reported earnings per share of $1.71, surpassing Wall Street’s predicted EPS of $1.46, based on consensus estimates cited in coverage from CNBC.

“There is much more work in front of us,” Target CEO Michael Fiddelke said in a statement.

Fiddelke added that first-quarter performance was “stronger than expected. ” and that it offered “encouraging early signs” that Target’s clarified strategy is “resonating with our guests and driving broad-based growth across our business.” He also said the company’s focus stays on “building consistent. long-term growth. ” while recognizing that “there is much more work in front of us.”.

This was Fiddelke’s first earnings report as CEO. He became chief executive in February, taking over from the role of former COO after 20 years at the retailer.

Since the start of 2026, Target Corporation’s shares (NYSE: TGT) are up 30.17%, outperforming the S&P 500. The stock was up 2% in premarket trading as of the time of writing.

The economic pressure behind the boycott

Target’s financial strength is arriving alongside a question the retailer can’t easily outrun: why some shoppers keep skipping it.

The boycott is rooted in a mix of broader pressures and more specific corporate decisions. The company has faced calls to boycott since early 2025, after it donated $1 million to the Trump Inaugural Committee and cut back on its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments.

Target’s critics point to a sharper contrast in its earlier posture. In 2020. the Minneapolis-based retailer took major steps following the murder of George Floyd—10 minutes from its headquarters—committing to putting over 500 Black-owned brands on its shelves through a spend of $2 billion on Black-owned businesses.

But when Donald Trump returned to the White House and pressed his anti-DEI agenda, Target moved away from programs aimed at increasing its Black-owned brands and Black workforce.

Minnesota civil rights activists Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullars-Doty, and Jaylani Hussein organized a national boycott against Target that is still ongoing.

There was also a separate boycott led by Atlanta-based pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant, but Bryant called it off in March. He cited “productive” conversations with Target’s leadership, while those discussions brought “no notable changes” to Target’s DEI policies.

What has changed inside Target as it tries to turn the business around

Even as external pressure continues, Target is also reshaping its own operations.

Just after Fiddelke began as chief executive in February, Target announced it was laying off 500 corporate workers. The company said it would use some of the savings to improve in-store experiences, including more front-line in-store staffing.

An ongoing boycott and a improving quarterly report can exist at the same time. But together. they create a tension that matters to both shoppers and investors: Target is telling a story of growth—especially in digital and same-day delivery—while critics are still asking the company to change how it stands on DEI and representation.

Target Target Circle 360 Target+ digital sales same-day delivery CEO Michael Fiddelke earnings per share TGT stock boycott DEI diversity and inclusion Trump Inaugural Committee Minneapolis George Floyd Nekima Levy Armstrong Monique Cullars-Doty Jaylani Hussein Jamal Harrison Bryant layoffs