Connors Investor Services Inc. Grows Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Connors Investor Services Inc. grew its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,172 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after buying an additional 31,052 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for about 1.5% of Connors Investor Services Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Connors Investor Services Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $15,605,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 42.9% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 231,481 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $27,208,000 after purchasing an additional 69,489 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc increased its position in TJX Companies by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 3,015 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $354,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Wealthquest Corp acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $238,000. World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 691.6% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 71,837 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $8,444,000 after acquiring an additional 62,762 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB grew its stake in TJX Companies by 28.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 238,649 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $28,051,000 after acquiring an additional 53,264 shares during the period. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $129.48. The stock had a trading volume of 1,091,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,334,384. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $122.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.64 billion, a PE ratio of 30.46, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.38 and a 12 month high of $131.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.24 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.425 dividend. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.91%.

Insider Activity

In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 484,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $59,569,772.67. The trade was a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup raised TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $128.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $137.06.

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.