Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 133,108 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 28.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 604,594 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 133,108 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.05% of TJX Companies worth $56,717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 76.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 389 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. UBS Group raised their target price 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 lowered 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. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.19.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $93.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,043,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,780,190. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $97.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.65 and a 12 month high of $102.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.46%.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 28th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the apparel and home fashions retailer to purchase up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

TJX Companies Company 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.