Ethic Inc. Increases Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. $TJX

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its stake in TJX Companies by 5.8%, now owning 176,927 shares valued at approximately $21.71 million.
• Several large investors significantly modified their holdings in TJX Companies, with Nuveen LLC and GAMMA Investing LLC making substantial new investments during the first quarter.
• TJX Companies reported $0.92 earnings per share in its last quarterly earnings, exceeding estimates, with a revenue of $13.11 billion, a 5.1% increase from the previous year.

Ethic Inc. boosted its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 176,927 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 9,758 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $21,713,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of TJX. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 210.1% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 214 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its position 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 during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 99.3% in 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 buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Inlight Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the first quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 105.9% in 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 purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX Companies stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $132.58. The company had a trading volume of 4,796,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,747,701. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.96 and a fifty-two week high of $135.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $148.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $125.10.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. TJX Companies's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. TJX Companies's payout ratio is 40.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on TJX. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on TJX Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $133.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. TD Securities raised 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. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $164.00 price objective (up from $154.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, TJX Companies has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $141.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TJX Companies news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.09, for a total value of $121,685.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,712 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

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.