(NYSE: TGT) investors have had a rough year, with the share prices of the retail giant declining 8.8% over the past year. That drop stands in stark contrast to the S 500, which has rallied by nearly 28% in the past 12 months. Target's returns even trailed industry peers like Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) by a wide margin.

That performance gap reflects the company's weakening customer traffic trends as shoppers shifted spending away from discretionary purchases like home furnishings. It's hard to grow sales when you're catering to fewer guests with each passing quarter.

Target's growth problems could be ending soon, however. And as investors wait for the rebound, they can collect an unusually high dividend yield for the retailing industry. Let's look at some reasons why income investors might want to put Target stock near the top of their watch lists.

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Source Fool.com