Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Decreases Stock Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 4.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 496,605 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 20,552 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $59,995,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $11,998,201,000 after buying an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,322,579 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $2,930,965,000 after acquiring an additional 464,995 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,647,792 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,769,600,000 after acquiring an additional 626,739 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,985,826 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,689,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,670,565,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $127.07. 1,548,182 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,324,338. The company has a market capitalization of $141.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $101.01 and a 52-week high of $135.85. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $126.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $123.71.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.01 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total transaction of $2,882,346.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at $59,569,772.67. This represents a 4.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total value of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TJX. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. TD Securities upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $140.65.

TJX Companies 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.