Marathon Asset Management Ltd Lowers Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. $TJX

Key Points

• Marathon Asset Management cut its TJX stake by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,213 shares and leaving it with 114,191 shares worth about $17.5 million.
• TJX continues to have strong institutional support overall, with hedge funds and other institutional investors owning 91.09% of the stock.
• Analysts remain bullish on TJX: several firms reaffirmed or raised ratings and price targets, while the company also reported better-than-expected earnings and recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.48 per share.

Marathon Asset Management Ltd lessened its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 8.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 114,191 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 11,213 shares during the period. Marathon Asset Management Ltd's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $17,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in TJX Companies by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 102.2% in the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 182 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays upped their target price on TJX Companies from $172.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings downgraded TJX Companies from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on TJX Companies from $173.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 target price (up from $165.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $169.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.95, for a total value of $4,828,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 479,316 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $77,145,910.20. This represents a 5.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of TJX opened at $150.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $166.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.64. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $119.84 and a one year high of $165.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $156.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.32.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $17.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.36 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 57.70% and a net margin of 9.10%.TJX Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.23 earnings per share. TJX Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 4.930-5.020 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.970-0.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 5.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This is an increase from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.34%.

TJX Companies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting TJX Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on TJX to $174 and kept an overweight rating, signaling confidence in more upside for the off-price retailer. TJX Companies price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Positive Sentiment: Truist initiated coverage with a buy rating and a $175 price target, reflecting a constructive view on TJX’s execution and competitive position. TJX Companies now covered by Truist Financial Corporation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain optimistic that TJX can beat estimates again, citing its strong earnings surprise history and favorable setup heading into results. Will TJX (TJX) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity surged, with traders buying far more call options than usual, suggesting some investors are positioning for a bullish move around earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes and broader retail-watchlist articles underscore that TJX remains in focus among off-price retailers, but do not add a new fundamental catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings are the key near-term event, with investors watching whether bargain-hunting shoppers are still supporting sales and margins. TJX Results Will Show if Shoppers Are Still Bargain Hunting

TJX Companies Company Profile

TJX Companies, Inc is a leading off-price retailer of apparel, footwear, home fashions and other consumer goods. The company operates multiple retail concepts that offer discounted brand-name and designer merchandise, including well-known banners such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States, HomeGoods for home furnishings, TK Maxx in parts of Europe, and Winners and Homesense in Canada. Merchandise categories span women's, men's and children's apparel, accessories, beauty, home décor, kitchenware and small furniture, with frequent changes in assortment that create a “treasure-hunt” shopping experience for consumers.

The company's business model centers on opportunistic buying, purchasing excess, irregular or out-of-season inventory from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers, and passing savings to customers through lower prices.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.