PGGM Investments Decreases Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

PGGM Investments decreased its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 15.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 143,048 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 25,945 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in TJX Companies were worth $13,419,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in TJX Companies by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,846 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC increased its position in TJX Companies by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,433 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its position in TJX Companies by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 1,196 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $112,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners increased its position in TJX Companies by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 5,623 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Insight Advisors LLC PA increased its position in TJX Companies by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 3,757 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $96.36. The stock had a trading volume of 3,748,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,860,047. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $97.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.86. 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 1 year low of $75.65 and a 1 year high of $102.84.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This is an increase from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.46%.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.