Sawgrass Asset Management LLC Increases Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC increased its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 225,753 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after buying an additional 23,051 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for 2.4% of Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $21,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of TJX. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Alhambra Investment Management LLC grew 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 worth $510,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its position in TJX Companies by 9.9% during the 4th quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 1,196 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners raised its stake 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 valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insight Advisors LLC PA grew its stake 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 worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX traded up $0.58 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $98.50. The stock had a trading volume of 4,395,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,084,401. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $96.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $94.23. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.65 and a 1-year high of $102.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced 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. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $16.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.46%.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 28th that permits the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $104.00 to $132.00 in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock 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 upped their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 directly owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.