ING Groep NV Has $24.92 Million Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

ING Groep NV cut its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 46.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 265,628 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 233,267 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $24,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 76.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 389 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 86.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 478 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TJX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Redburn Atlantic lowered TJX Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 5th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $112.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $105.56.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX stock traded up $1.37 on Friday, hitting $100.29. 6,467,499 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,183,217. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.65 and a 12 month high of $102.84. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $97.05 and a 200 day moving average of $94.78. The stock has a market cap of $113.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.87.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.1 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

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

TJX Companies announced that its Board of Directors has approved 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 purchase up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 50,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, 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 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.

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