The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Position Increased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 0.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,661,853 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,353 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.24% of TJX Companies worth $324,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes 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 valued at $11,998,201,000 after purchasing an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 1.9% in the fourth 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 lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 4.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 15.2% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $1,670,565,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on TJX shares. Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $140.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. TD Securities raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up previously from $137.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $141.53.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related 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 transaction of $121,685.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX traded up $1.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $123.27. 9,776,498 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,189,737. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $107.71 and a fifty-two week 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 has a market cap of $137.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $127.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $124.00.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 58.81%. The business had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.93 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

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.