The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC lowered its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 791,574 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 2,122 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies makes up about 1.1% of Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Welch & Forbes LLC owned about 0.07% of TJX Companies worth $74,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,846 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC now owns 5,433 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 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 last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 5,623 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insight Advisors LLC PA raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 3,757 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction of $1,979,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the firm’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 owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX traded up $2.33 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $97.44. 6,229,573 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,095,990. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.65 and a 12 month high of $102.84. 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 stock has a market cap of $110.40 billion, a PE ratio of 25.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.87. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $94.16.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 28th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the apparel and home fashions retailer to reacquire up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans 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 dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of 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, April 25th. 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 report on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.29.

TJX Companies 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.