National Pension Service Raises Stock Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Key Points

• The National Pension Service increased its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. by 5.8% in Q1, owning a total of 2,858,614 shares valued at approximately $348 million.
• Several institutional investors significantly boosted their holdings in TJX, with TCTC Holdings investing an impressive 210.1% during the same quarter.
• Analysts have a consensus buy rating on TJX stock with a price target averaging $141.06, and the company recently reported earnings surpassing estimates.

National Pension Service grew its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,858,614 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 156,099 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned about 0.26% of TJX Companies worth $348,179,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in TJX. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its stake in TJX Companies by 210.1% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 214 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 58.8% in the first quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 297 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 99.3% during the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 299 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in TJX Companies by 105.9% during the first quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC now owns 348 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on TJX shares. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up previously from $137.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. TD Securities increased their target price on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $141.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of TJX Companies 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 directly owned 22,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,909,180.08. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded down $1.11 during trading on Thursday, hitting $132.99. The stock had a trading volume of 3,763,205 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,684,373. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.24 and a 12 month high of $135.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $125.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $125.05. The stock has a market cap of $148.56 billion, a PE ratio of 31.29, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.89.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $13.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.01 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 58.81% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

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.