Westerkirk Capital Inc. Grows Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. $TJX

Key Points

• Westerkirk Capital increased its stake in TJX Companies by 76.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 52,600 more shares to reach 121,175 shares valued at about $18.6 million.
• TJX continues to draw strong institutional interest, with several large funds boosting holdings and 91.09% of the stock now owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• The company reported solid quarterly results, including EPS of $1.19 versus the $1.02 estimate and revenue of $14.32 billion, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $0.48 per share.

Westerkirk Capital Inc. boosted its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 76.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,175 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after buying an additional 52,600 shares during the period. TJX Companies makes up approximately 1.8% of Westerkirk Capital Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Westerkirk Capital Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $18,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of TJX. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,211,975,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 91.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,712,226 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $970,185,000 after buying an additional 3,208,458 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 120.7% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,016,792 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $620,406,000 after buying an additional 2,743,676 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 22.1% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 9,725,542 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $1,391,822,000 after buying an additional 1,761,281 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 105.0% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 3,013,077 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $462,841,000 after buying an additional 1,543,480 shares during the period. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on TJX. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, May 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on TJX Companies from $173.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $182.00 target price (up from $168.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $160.00 target price (up from $155.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.58.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX opened at $159.91 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $156.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $119.84 and a 1-year high of $165.82. The company has a market cap of $176.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.62.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.17. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 9.40%.The company had revenue of $14.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. TJX Companies's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. TJX Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.080-5.150 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 1.150-1.170 EPS. Analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.28%.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 29,549 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.46, for a total value of $4,652,785.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 552,850 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,051,761. This represents a 5.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO John Klinger sold 6,235 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.77, for a total value of $1,002,400.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 64,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,330,597.89. The trade was a 8.84% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 73,786 shares of company stock worth $11,695,268. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

About TJX Companies

TJX Companies, Inc is a leading off-price retailer of apparel, footwear, home fashions and other consumer goods. The company operates multiple retail concepts that offer discounted brand-name and designer merchandise, including well-known banners such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States, HomeGoods for home furnishings, TK Maxx in parts of Europe, and Winners and Homesense in Canada. Merchandise categories span women's, men's and children's apparel, accessories, beauty, home décor, kitchenware and small furniture, with frequent changes in assortment that create a “treasure-hunt” shopping experience for consumers.

The company's business model centers on opportunistic buying, purchasing excess, irregular or out-of-season inventory from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers, and passing savings to customers through lower prices.

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