Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Sells 671 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,691 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 671 shares during the period. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $3,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in 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 purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in TJX Companies by 76.0% during 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 in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Steward Financial Group LLC raised 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 worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TJX traded up $1.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $96.42. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,248,675 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,075,015. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $97.36 and a 200 day moving average of $93.82. 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 $109.24 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.86.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

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

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction of $1,979,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction 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 approximately $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Company Profile

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.