Flputnam Investment Management Co. Increases Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. raised its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 91.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 304,386 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 145,124 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $28,554,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 5,939 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $558,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Keel Point LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 4,231 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 10,435 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $979,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 115.5% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 53,371 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $5,007,000 after purchasing an additional 28,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $1,700,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 515,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,968,480.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on TJX shares. UBS Group upped their price target on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Redburn Atlantic downgraded TJX Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.19.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TJX traded down $1.44 during trading on Monday, hitting $92.98. 5,112,869 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,065,701. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.65 and a 52-week high of $102.84. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $97.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $93.57. The company has a market cap of $105.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.09, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.86.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $16.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm's revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the apparel and home fashions retailer to repurchase up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a boost from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.46%.

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.