Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 289.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 23,105 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 17,175 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $2,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 2,676 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 129,220 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $15,611,000 after purchasing an additional 36,332 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 23.9% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 622,646 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $77,996,000 after purchasing an additional 120,200 shares in the last quarter. Francis Financial Inc. grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Francis Financial Inc. now owns 2,356 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elefante Mark B purchased a new position in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,540,000. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

TJX Companies stock traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $133.37. 4,871,785 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,353,315. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $124.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $97.53 and a 1 year high of $133.90.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The business had revenue of $16.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.24 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. This is an increase from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on TJX. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $133.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price target on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $137.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other TJX Companies news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value of $2,882,346.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $59,569,772.67. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

TJX Companies 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.