Why Did TGT, MRK, SCHW Stocks Surge To 52-Week Highs Last Week?

• TGT stock closed 4.5% higher on Friday amid a series of price target hikes last week following its strong Q2 earnings results. 
• MRK stock gained more than 2% at close as positive clinical trial momentum for its oncology portfolio drove retail interest and attracted Wall Street optimism.
• SCHW stock gained more than 2% after it posted growth in core net new assets in July and announced an expansion in its India workforce. 

Shares of Target Corp. (TGT), Merck & Co Inc. (MRK), and Charles Schwab Corp. (SCHW) jumped to annual highs last week amid a series of positive company catalysts, improving investor sentiment, and Wall Street optimism. 

TGT stock closed 4.5% higher on Friday amid a series of price target hikes last week following its strong second-quarter (Q2) earnings results. 

MRK stock gained more than 2% at close as positive clinical trial momentum for its oncology portfolio drove retail interest.

SCHW stock gained more than 2% as sentiment improved after it posted growth in core net new assets in July and announced an expansion in its workforce. 

Target Attracts Wall Street Optimism

TGT stock jumped to a fresh 52-week high of $165.48 on Friday and notched four consecutive weeks of gains after Wall Street analysts hiked price targets on the company following its Q2 results. 

Telsey Advisory, Deutsche Bank, BMO Capital and RBC Capital were among the multiple firms that hiked targets on the company. 

Telsey Advisory analyst Joseph Feldman raised the price target on Target to $182 from $170 and maintained an ‘Outperform’ rating on the shares, noting that it is encouraged by the company's transformation progress and expects this to continue into the second half of 2026. 

Deutsche Bank raised the price target on the company to $150 from $140 and kept a ‘Hold’ rating on the shares. Meanwhile, BMO Capital raised the price target on TGT stock to $160 from $150 and kept a ‘Market Perform’ rating on the shares, citing its Q2 beat and solid comparative sales that were consistent across months and income levels. 

RBC Capital also raised the price target on Target to $178 from $166 and maintained an ‘Outperform’ rating on the shares, noting that Target's Q2 results met a high bar and provided further proof points that its turnaround efforts are resonating with consumers. 

Last week, the retail store chain posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.46 on $26.54 billion in revenue, beating analyst consensus estimates.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around TGT stock was ‘extremely bullish’ at the time of writing. The company’s shares are up more than 64% so far in 2026. 

Merck Continues To Gain From Optimism Around Positive Cancer Treatment Trial Results

MRK stock jumped to a 52-week high of $154.49 on Friday, extending to two consecutive weeks of gains. The stock jumped more than 12% last week alone. 

The uptick followed Moderna (MRNA) and Merck’s Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial results, which showed that Intismeran Autogene plus Keytruda significantly improved recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival in patients with high-risk melanoma after surgery.

The 1,137-patient study is the first positive Phase 3 trial for a personalized neoantigen therapy and Moderna’s mRNA-based cancer treatment. The findings follow Phase 2b results that showed a 49% reduction in the risk of recurrence or death and a 59% reduction in the risk of distant metastasis or death.

Overall survival remains under evaluation, while the companies are also testing the therapy in nine additional trials spanning cancers including lung, bladder, kidney, pancreatic and gastric cancer.

Last week, Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Merck to $160 from $140 and maintained a ‘Buy’ rating on the shares, citing positive Phase 3 melanoma results that validated the personalized mRNA platform and strengthened the case for broader oncology applications. 

MRK stock sentiment on Stocktwits was ‘extremely bullish’ at the time of writing. The company’s shares have gained more than 43% in 2026. 

Charles Schwab Continues To Gain After Posting Strong Growth In July Net Assets, Revealing Workforce Growth

SCHW stock jumped to an annual high of $112.40 on Friday, which boosted it to five straight weeks of gains. 

Earlier this month, the company revealed that its core net new assets rose 24% year-on-year to $58.1 billion, a record month. Total client assets climbed to $13.04 trillion at the end of the month, up 19% from the previous year. The financial company also said new brokerage accounts opened in July totaled 417,000, up 11% year-on-year, while daily average trades totaled 11.6 million. 

Meanwhile, last week, the U.S. financial services firm said that it plans to expand its workforce at its​India-based global capability centre to about 2,000 employees by the ‌end of 2027, noting that hiring will happen over phases, with an initial target of about 500 in the first year. 

Charles Schwab’s latest Q2 report saw an adjusted earnings per share of $1.62, topping analyst estimates, while revenue hit a record $7.07 billion, up 21% year-over-year.

Meanwhile, on Stocktwits, retail sentiment improved to ‘neutral’ from ‘bearish’ at the time of writing. SCHW stock has risen more than 10% so far in 2026.

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