Ethic Inc. Buys 29,158 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 167,169 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after buying an additional 29,158 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $20,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $128.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,131,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,342,396. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price 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 TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $97.53 and a one year high of $131.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The business had revenue of $16.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.24 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS 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 given a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on TJX. Barclays increased their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced 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, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $128.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two equities 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, TJX Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $136.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

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

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.