The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Stock Holdings Boosted by AIA Group Ltd

AIA Group Ltd grew its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 33.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,200 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 12,276 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $4,615,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 95,135,688 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $8,455,660,000 after acquiring an additional 392,783 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in TJX Companies by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,008,484 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $4,622,514,000 after purchasing an additional 6,036,764 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its position in TJX Companies by 88.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,619,778 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $2,118,935,000 after purchasing an additional 12,468,119 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 20,891,507 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,632,900,000 after buying an additional 209,152 shares during the period. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of TJX Companies by 90,089.8% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,788,543 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,575,168,000 after buying an additional 19,766,602 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 515,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 515,801 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

TJX Companies stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $92.66. 3,290,673 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,024,710. 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 capitalization of $104.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. 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 firm's 50 day moving average price is $97.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.59.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 64.18%. TJX Companies's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock 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 reacquire up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.