Foster & Motley Inc. Trims Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Foster & Motley Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,478 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 355 shares during the quarter. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $1,827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of TJX. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 76.0% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 389 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Steward Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 56.5% in the third quarter. Steward Financial Group LLC now owns 493 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on TJX shares. UBS Group raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Redburn Atlantic lowered 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. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, TJX Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.19.

TJX Companies Price Performance

NYSE:TJX opened at $94.05 on Tuesday. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.65 and a 52 week high of $102.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $106.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $97.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $93.74.

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

TJX Companies declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel and home fashions retailer to repurchase up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This is an increase from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is currently 34.46%.

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.