Target Corp. reported second-quarter comparable sales grew 24.3 percent, the strongest the company has ever reported.

Store comparable sales increased 10.9 percent. Digital comparable sales grew 195 percent, accounting for 13.4 percentage points of Target’s comparable sales growth. Overall sales were $22.7 billion against $18.2 billion, a gain of 24.8 percent.

Target noted that stores fulfilled more than 90 percent of Target’s second-quarter sales. Same-day services (Order Pick Up, Drive Up and Ship) grew 273 percent and accounted for approximately 6 percentage points of total company comparable sales growth.

The company saw unusually strong market-share gains across all five of its core merchandise categories. In the first half of the year, the company gained approximately $5 billion in market share.

The company reported GAAP earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations of $3.35 in the second quarter, an increase of 84.4 percent from $1.82 in 2019. Second-quarter Adjusted EPS of $3.38 grew 85.7 percent compared with $1.82 in 2019.

“Our second-quarter comparable sales growth of 24.3 percent is the strongest we have ever reported, which is a true testament to the resilience of our team and the durability of our business model. Our stores were the key to this unprecedented growth, with in-store comp sales growing 10.9 percent and stores enabling more than three-quarters of Target’s digital sales, which rose nearly 200 percent. We also generated outstanding profitability in the quarter, even as we made significant investments in pay and benefits for our team,” said Brian Cornell, chairman and chief executive officer of Target Corporation. “We remain steadfast in our focus on investing in a safe and convenient shopping experience for our guests, and their trust has resulted in market share gains of $5 billion in the first six months of the year. With our differentiated merchandising assortment, a comprehensive set of convenient fulfillment options, a strong balance sheet, and our deeply dedicated team, we are well-equipped to navigate the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, and continue to grow profitably in the years ahead.”

Fiscal 2020 Guidance
During the first quarter, the company withdrew its guidance given the unusually wide range of potential outcomes, in light of the highly fluid and uncertain outlook for consumer shopping patterns and government policies related to COVID-19.

Operating Results
The company’s total comparable sales grew 24.3 percent in the second quarter, reflecting comparable stores sales growth of 10.9 percent and digital sales growth of 195 percent. Total revenue of $23.0 billion grew 24.7 percent compared with last year, reflecting sales growth of 24.8 percent and a 16.6 percent increase in other revenue. Operating income was $2.3 billion in second-quarter 2020, up 73.8 percent from $1.3 billion in 2019.

Second-quarter operating income margin rate was 10.0 percent in 2020 compared with 7.2 percent in 2019, driven primarily by strong expense leverage on robust topline performance. Second-quarter gross margin rate was 30.9 percent, compared with 30.6 percent in 2019. This increase reflected sales strength across its entire multi-category assortment and lower discounts driven by high sell-through rates. Second-quarter SG&A expense rate was 19.4 percent in 2020, compared with 21.2 percent in 2019, reflecting higher compensation costs, including investments in wages and benefits, which were more than offset by the net impact of other factors, most prominently the leverage from strong sales growth.

Interest Expense and Taxes
The company’s second-quarter 2020 net interest expense was $122 million, compared with $120 million last year.

Second-quarter 2020 effective income tax rate was 22.8 percent, compared with 23.0 percent last year, reflecting a larger rate benefit from discrete items, primarily related to share-based payments, compared with the prior year.

Shareholder Returns
The company paid dividends of $330 million, compared with $328 million in second-quarter 2019, reflecting a 3.1 percent increase in the dividend per share, partially offset by a decline in average share count.

On March 25, 2020, the company announced that it had suspended share repurchase activity as a result of the high level of uncertainty in the current environment. As of the end of the second quarter, the company had approximately $4.5 billion of remaining capacity under the repurchase program approved by Target’s Board of Directors in September 2019.

For the trailing twelve months through second-quarter 2020, after-tax return on invested capital (ROIC) was 17.2 percent, compared with 15.2 percent for the twelve months through second-quarter 2019. The increase to ROIC was driven primarily by increased profitability combined with a small decrease in capital base. The tables in this release provide additional information about the company’s ROIC calculation.

Photo courtesy Target