The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Bought by New World Advisors LLC

New World Advisors LLC raised its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,775,260 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 129,020 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for approximately 80.2% of New World Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. New World Advisors LLC owned 0.24% of TJX Companies worth $260,347,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $68,000. United Bank grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. United Bank now owns 15,197 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $921,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,780,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 69.0% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 38,304 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $2,320,000 after buying an additional 15,644 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,396 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction of $1,979,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction of $1,979,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX stock traded down $0.45 on Thursday, hitting $95.84. 4,845,147 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,079,772. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.65 and a 1-year high of $102.84. The stock has a market cap of $108.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $98.10 and a 200-day moving average of $93.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 64.18%. The business had revenue of $16.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of TJX Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.19.

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.