The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Stock Position Trimmed by Weybosset Research & Management LLC

Weybosset Research & Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 148,764 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 3,155 shares during the period. TJX Companies comprises 5.7% of Weybosset Research & Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Weybosset Research & Management LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $15,088,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. increased its holdings in TJX Companies by 35.5% in the third quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 73,466 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $6,530,000 after buying an additional 19,236 shares in the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 603,482 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $56,613,000 after purchasing an additional 21,767 shares during the last quarter. Savoir Faire Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in TJX Companies during the third quarter worth $3,197,000. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 42.9% in the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 19,108 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 5,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 109.1% in the third quarter. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank now owns 148,954 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $13,239,000 after purchasing an additional 77,711 shares during the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on TJX. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.65.

TJX Companies Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE TJX traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $94.90. 4,682,312 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,054,049. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50 day moving average is $97.27 and its 200-day moving average is $93.98. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.65 and a 12-month high of $102.84.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

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

TJX Companies announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following 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. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.