Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 2,884 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 784,497 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 2,884 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies makes up about 1.3% of Welch & Forbes LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Welch & Forbes LLC owned about 0.07% of TJX Companies worth $95,552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Inlight Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in TJX Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC increased its position in TJX Companies by 105.9% during the 1st 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 period. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the director directly owned 22,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,909,180.08. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, TD Securities raised their target price on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, TJX Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $141.06.

TJX Companies Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:TJX traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $121.28. 6,151,587 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,212,453. 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 TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.71 and a 12 month high of $135.85. The company has a market cap of $135.48 billion, a PE ratio of 28.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $126.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $124.10.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $13.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 58.81% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.93 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. TJX Companies's payout ratio is 40.00%.

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.