diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index d16590942cecfa0a7d068c2e035aa4b2aa5f2961..d26a279796d965eae3ded86164966447d6894134 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -886,9 +886,7 @@ int cmd_record(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __used)
 
 	perf_target__validate(&rec->opts.target);
 
-	rec->opts.target.uid = parse_target_uid(rec->opts.target.uid_str);
-	if (rec->opts.target.uid_str != NULL &&
-	    rec->opts.target.uid == UINT_MAX - 1)
+	if (perf_target__parse_uid(&rec->opts.target) < 0)
 		goto out_free_fd;
 
 	if (perf_evlist__create_maps(evsel_list, &rec->opts.target) < 0)
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
index e40f86ea364147e114b47428953b888177c9abab..c9137ba580d9ead6e9de64f2cc9fb3570ff1ca2d 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-top.c
@@ -1254,8 +1254,7 @@ int cmd_top(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix __used)
 
 	perf_target__validate(&top.target);
 
-	top.target.uid = parse_target_uid(top.target.uid_str);
-	if (top.target.uid_str != NULL && top.target.uid == UINT_MAX - 1)
+	if (perf_target__parse_uid(&top.target) < 0)
 		goto out_delete_evlist;
 
 	if (top.target.tid == 0 && top.target.pid == 0 &&
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/target.c b/tools/perf/util/target.c
index 5c59dcfc8f8d11344c02cef9e1fb3e9c4304f7dc..02a6bedb69a31ffd9c539bdcd8e8f678decd14f6 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/target.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/target.c
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 #include "target.h"
 #include "debug.h"
 
+#include <pwd.h>
+
 
 enum perf_target_errno perf_target__validate(struct perf_target *target)
 {
@@ -54,3 +56,36 @@ enum perf_target_errno perf_target__validate(struct perf_target *target)
 
 	return ret;
 }
+
+enum perf_target_errno perf_target__parse_uid(struct perf_target *target)
+{
+	struct passwd pwd, *result;
+	char buf[1024];
+	const char *str = target->uid_str;
+
+	target->uid = UINT_MAX;
+	if (str == NULL)
+		return PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__SUCCESS;
+
+	/* Try user name first */
+	getpwnam_r(str, &pwd, buf, sizeof(buf), &result);
+
+	if (result == NULL) {
+		/*
+		 * The user name not found. Maybe it's a UID number.
+		 */
+		char *endptr;
+		int uid = strtol(str, &endptr, 10);
+
+		if (*endptr != '\0')
+			return PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__INVALID_UID;
+
+		getpwuid_r(uid, &pwd, buf, sizeof(buf), &result);
+
+		if (result == NULL)
+			return PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__USER_NOT_FOUND;
+	}
+
+	target->uid = result->pw_uid;
+	return PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__SUCCESS;
+}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/target.h b/tools/perf/util/target.h
index eb0d2101154ae24ab18ed0b6d3afa33b589a25d9..d4aabdaba42a265e2c0b1a9914f3cb21f1003f3b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/target.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/target.h
@@ -33,9 +33,14 @@ enum perf_target_errno {
 	PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__PID_OVERRIDE_SYSTEM,
 	PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__UID_OVERRIDE_SYSTEM,
 
+	/* for perf_target__parse_uid() */
+	PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__INVALID_UID,
+	PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__USER_NOT_FOUND,
+
 	__PERF_ERRNO_TARGET__END,
 };
 
 enum perf_target_errno perf_target__validate(struct perf_target *target);
+enum perf_target_errno perf_target__parse_uid(struct perf_target *target);
 
 #endif /* _PERF_TARGET_H */
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/usage.c b/tools/perf/util/usage.c
index e851abc22ccc61a82247b932a8ee960505d5d9e1..4007aca8e0caa550a3fd551accf66810f2e19be9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/usage.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/usage.c
@@ -82,34 +82,3 @@ void warning(const char *warn, ...)
 	warn_routine(warn, params);
 	va_end(params);
 }
-
-uid_t parse_target_uid(const char *str)
-{
-	struct passwd pwd, *result;
-	char buf[1024];
-
-	if (str == NULL)
-		return UINT_MAX;
-
-	getpwnam_r(str, &pwd, buf, sizeof(buf), &result);
-
-	if (result == NULL) {
-		char *endptr;
-		int uid = strtol(str, &endptr, 10);
-
-		if (*endptr != '\0') {
-			ui__error("Invalid user %s\n", str);
-			return UINT_MAX - 1;
-		}
-
-		getpwuid_r(uid, &pwd, buf, sizeof(buf), &result);
-
-		if (result == NULL) {
-			ui__error("Problems obtaining information for user %s\n",
-				  str);
-			return UINT_MAX - 1;
-		}
-	}
-
-	return result->pw_uid;
-}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/util.h b/tools/perf/util/util.h
index 52be74c359d382613ef390b5c4e47ecd4947d232..27a11a78ad390e722de6e8fa1503d98f6f38de8c 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/util.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/util.h
@@ -74,7 +74,6 @@
 #include <netinet/tcp.h>
 #include <arpa/inet.h>
 #include <netdb.h>
-#include <pwd.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 #include "../../../include/linux/magic.h"
 #include "types.h"
@@ -249,8 +248,6 @@ struct perf_event_attr;
 
 void event_attr_init(struct perf_event_attr *attr);
 
-uid_t parse_target_uid(const char *str);
-
 #define _STR(x) #x
 #define STR(x) _STR(x)