The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 6.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,506,108 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 112,000 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.13% of TJX Companies worth $183,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in TJX Companies by 1.1% in the first quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 329,909 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $40,183,000 after purchasing an additional 3,522 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 9.6% in the first quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 33,101 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $4,032,000 after purchasing an additional 2,891 shares during the period. Stillwater Wealth Management Group increased its stake in TJX Companies by 9.8% in the first quarter. Stillwater Wealth Management Group now owns 17,823 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $2,171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,585 shares during the period. Rational Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in TJX Companies in the first quarter valued at $3,654,000. Finally, Austin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in TJX Companies in the first quarter valued at $220,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX traded down $0.47 on Friday, hitting $123.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,145,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,208,034. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $107.71 and a 12-month high of $135.85. The company has a market capitalization of $138.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.88. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average of $126.82 and a 200-day moving average of $124.13.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 58.81%. The company had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TJX. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $164.00 price target (up from $154.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Citigroup upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $137.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $141.06.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the business'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 value of $121,685.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,909,180.08. The trade was a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.13% of the stock is 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.