The ongoing battle against “woke” corporations is nearing the three-year mark, and conservatives have their sights set on one department store that hasn’t learned its lesson after previously being called out.
Target Corp., the vanguard of Pride Month clothing for children, is entering a winter of discontent after badly missing its earning mark right before the holiday season, sending its stock tumbling while shareholders fret about a much-needed change in leadership. CNBC reported that Target’s stock slipped at the opening bell after the company reported third-quarter earnings of $1.85 per share, missing the $2.30 consensus among 29 analysts covering the company. The revenue was 19.6% lower than anticipated and led to a 21% slide in the company’s share price.
In response, Target’s leadership has slashed full-year guidance after raising it the previous quarter, Yahoo reported. Adding insult to injury, Walmart beat expectations on Wednesday, posting outperformances in quarterly same-store sales performance, online sales growth, and overall narrative to investors. Target has been cutting prices on everything from groceries to home goods in a bid to stave off the bleed.During a call with reporters, executives had little explanation for the slide other than to speculate that consumers are being “cautious” about their spending, a defense at odds with economic reports that consumer spending remains robust despite high costs. Target’s longtime Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell told Yahoo that supply chain disruptions played a role as warehouses overflowed with unsold inventory; still, he insisted, leadership has the “appropriate approach” for the holiday season, but is “guiding for some conservatism.”