Canton Hathaway LLC Takes $609,000 Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Canton Hathaway LLC acquired a new position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,000 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock, valued at approximately $609,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 0.6% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 464,995 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 4.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,985,826 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $1,689,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,670,565,000. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Stock Up 0.7%

TJX stock traded up $0.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $123.35. 6,729,044 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,187,178. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $137.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.90. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $127.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.10. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $107.71 and a 1-year high of $135.85.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 58.81%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TJX Companies news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.09, for a total transaction of $121,685.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 22,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,909,180.08. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on TJX shares. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Loop Capital set a $150.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $140.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.53.

TJX Companies Company 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.