Washington Trust Bank Boosts Stock Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Washington Trust Bank lifted its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 3.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,034 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after buying an additional 4,206 shares during the period. TJX Companies makes up approximately 1.8% of Washington Trust Bank's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Washington Trust Bank's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $17,665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 0.6% in the 4th 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 buying an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.9% in 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 buying an additional 464,995 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,769,600,000 after purchasing an additional 626,739 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,689,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,670,565,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX traded down $0.68 during trading on Monday, reaching $125.18. The stock had a trading volume of 3,894,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,196,325. The stock has a market cap of $139.84 billion, a PE ratio of 29.45, a PEG ratio of 2.94 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 one year low of $107.71 and a one year high of $135.85. The business has a 50-day moving average of $127.16 and a 200-day moving average of $124.07.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last released its 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. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 58.81% and a net margin of 8.47%. The business had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.93 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given 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 1.36%. TJX Companies's payout ratio is 40.00%.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other TJX Companies news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 22,712 shares in the company, valued at $2,909,180.08. This represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TJX. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Loop Capital set a $150.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $141.53.

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.