Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 153,588 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lowered its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,113,987 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 153,588 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies accounts for approximately 0.7% of Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.28% of TJX Companies worth $376,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its position in TJX Companies by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 2,891,186 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $349,284,000 after purchasing an additional 144,113 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. increased its position in TJX Companies by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 167,169 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $20,196,000 after purchasing an additional 29,158 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in TJX Companies by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,228,840 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $148,456,000 after purchasing an additional 13,036 shares during the period. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $433,000. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC increased its position in TJX Companies by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 81,079 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $9,795,000 after purchasing an additional 2,201 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on TJX. Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $128.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of TJX Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $136.00 to $133.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, TJX Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $136.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

TJX Companies Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of TJX traded up $3.33 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $131.43. The stock had a trading volume of 4,810,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,340,268. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $97.53 and a 12 month high of $131.58. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $146.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. This is an increase from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. TJX Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.91%.

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.