MUFG Securities EMEA plc Lowers Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc has significantly reduced its holdings in The TJX Companies by 60.9%, selling 123,301 shares in the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in TJX Companies, with TCTC Holdings LLC and Rialto Wealth Management LLC growing their positions by over 200% and 105% respectively.
• Analysts are optimistic about TJX Companies with a consensus rating of "Buy" and a target price of $141.06, with recent price upgrades from firms like JPMorgan and Citigroup.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc reduced its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 60.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,999 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 123,301 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $9,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in TJX. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,039 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,817,000 after buying an additional 8,002 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,172 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. FIL Ltd lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 147,680 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $17,841,000 after buying an additional 16,492 shares in the last quarter. CenterBook Partners LP lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 15,943 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,926,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 113,198 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $13,675,000 after buying an additional 19,300 shares in the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:TJX traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $131.64. The stock had a trading volume of 4,629,642 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,801,404. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $107.71 and a one year high of $135.85. The company has a market capitalization of $147.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.97, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $125.41 and a 200 day moving average of $124.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 58.81% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. TJX Companies's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on TJX. TD Securities boosted their price objective on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Loop Capital set a $150.00 price objective on TJX Companies and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $141.06.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other TJX Companies news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.09, for a total transaction of $121,685.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 22,712 shares in the company, valued at $2,909,180.08. This represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.