Benjamin Edwards Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,394 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after buying an additional 843 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $2,195,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TJX. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in TJX Companies by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 306,839 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $28,785,000 after purchasing an additional 27,246 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 124,015 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $11,634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,862 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. raised its position in TJX Companies by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,628 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 392 shares during the period. Ashburton Jersey Ltd raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Ashburton Jersey Ltd now owns 26,843 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $2,386,000 after buying an additional 1,558 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 5,569 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $522,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded up $1.04 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $94.86. The stock had a trading volume of 3,583,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,038,662. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $97.11 and its 200 day moving average is $94.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.65 and a twelve month high of $102.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.30, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.87.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. TJX Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.46%.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel and home fashions retailer to purchase up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TJX has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,968,480.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About TJX Companies

The TJX Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX International. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, furniture, rugs, lighting products, giftware, soft home products, decorative accessories, tabletop, and cookware, as well as expanded pet, and gourmet food departments; jewelry and accessories; and other merchandise.