OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Makes New Investment in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

OCONNOR A Distinct Business Unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,000 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,812,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:TJX traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $133.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,871,785 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,353,315. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.38, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $124.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.89. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $97.53 and a fifty-two week high of $133.90.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The business had revenue of $16.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.24 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.27%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. TJX Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TJX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $133.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $137.25.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total transaction of $2,882,346.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 484,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,569,772.67. The trade was a 4.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total value of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.