What was Target's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2016?

Target's CAGR from 2016 to September 2026 was 10.6% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Target significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Target compare to the S&P 500 since 2016?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2016 would be worth approximately $4,503.50 today. Target underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,564.21.

How much of the Target gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $1,939.29 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $2,648.39. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,477.74, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Target since 2016?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2016, the real purchasing-power value of the Target position is approximately $2,163.89 in 2016 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Target perform in 2016?

Target rose 2.1% during 2016, from $53.20 at the start of the year to $54.34 at the start of 2017.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Target in 2016?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$2,939

+$1,939 profit2.94x10.6% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,503

Its shares paid about $86.09 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,648

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$2,939.29

Total Profit

$1,939.29

Multiplier

2.94x

CAGR

10.6%

Max Drawdown

-61.3%

Inflation-Adjusted

$2,163.89

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2016 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Target	$2,939.29	2.94x
S&P 500	$4,503.50	4.50x
Gold	$3,955.93	3.96x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,237.13	1.24x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 18.80 shares you'd own now paid about $86.09 in dividends (about $7.17 a month). That's 8.6% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $2,126; reinvested dividends added the other $813.30, 42% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2016

In February 2016, Target began bringing Caroline's Carts, shopping carts built for children and adults with special needs, to nearly all its stores. fortune.com
In 2016, a gallon of gas averaged $2.14, a movie ticket averaged $8.65 and the new iPhone 7 started at $649. eia.gov apple.com deadline.com
During 2016 itself, Target rose 2.1%, #71 of the 85 investments we track. The best was Ethereum (+778%); the worst was Palo Alto Networks (−26%). Full 2016 results →

$1,000 in Target, year by year

Of the 85 investments we track that were available at the start of 2016, Target ranks #64 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Salesforce and ahead of Russell 2000 ETF (IWM). See the full 2016 ranking →

Target started 2016 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after a roughly flat 2015. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2018, and has been above it since the start of 2019. Its best January was 2022, at $3,744. Today it's 21% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 5 of the 10 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2024 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Jul 2021 ($4,198) to Sep 2025 ($1,625), a drop of 61%. At its lowest month-end, in Jun 2017, it was worth $751.32.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2016	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2017	$1,021	+2.1%	$1,120
Start of 2018	$990	−3.1%	$1,364
Start of 2019	$1,005	+1.5%	$1,304
Start of 2020	$1,967	+96%	$1,715
Start of 2021	$2,828	+44%	$2,030
Start of 2022	$3,744	+32%	$2,613
Start of 2023	$2,501	−33%	$2,140
Start of 2024	$2,435	−2.6%	$2,702
Start of 2025	$2,404	−1.3%	$3,379
Start of 2026	$1,839	−24%	$3,983
Today	$2,939	+60%	$4,503

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2016, Target was priced at $53.20 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 18.80 shares. Target runs discount department stores across the US.

Measured from one January to the next, Target's best year since then was 2019 (+96%) and its worst was 2022 (−33%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2022 and the start of 2026, the position fell 51% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Target at the start of 2016 would be worth approximately $2,939.29 today — a 2.94x return ($1,939.29 profit) over 10.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2016 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2016 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.