The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Purchased by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,629,558 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 79,577 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies accounts for approximately 0.8% of Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.32% of TJX Companies worth $438,487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in TJX Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,314,635 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $11,998,201,000 after buying an additional 578,948 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,322,579 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $2,930,965,000 after buying an additional 464,995 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,647,792 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $1,769,600,000 after purchasing an additional 626,739 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,985,826 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,689,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $1,670,565,000. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

NYSE TJX traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $128.68. The stock had a trading volume of 5,967,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,345,579. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $97.47 and a twelve month high of $131.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm's 50 day moving average is $122.72 and its 200 day moving average is $122.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.28, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.24 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded TJX Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $136.00 to $133.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment 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, TJX Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $136.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value of $2,882,346.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 484,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $59,569,772.67. This represents a 4.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.