Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 4.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,887 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 10,018 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies comprises about 1.0% of Pittenger & Anderson Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $26,417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in TJX Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,314,635 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $11,998,201,000 after acquiring an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 1.9% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 464,995 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 4.5% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 626,739 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 15.2% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 1,845,225 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,670,565,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE TJX traded down $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $123.69. 4,145,943 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,208,034. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $124.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $138.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.88. 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 TJX Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $107.71 and a twelve month high of $135.85.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $13.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

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 given 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 1.37%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 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. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on TJX. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $147.00 target price (up previously from $137.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $164.00 price target (up previously from $154.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Loop Capital set a $150.00 price target on TJX Companies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets assumed coverage on TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price target for the company. Finally, Daiwa America upgraded TJX Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.06.

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.