Shell Asset Management Co. Increases Stock Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Shell Asset Management Co. grew its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 16.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,168 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after buying an additional 4,128 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $3,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in TJX. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 66,378 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $8,019,000 after acquiring an additional 1,732 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 12,300,919 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,486,074,000 after acquiring an additional 1,403,561 shares during the last quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 108,135 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $13,064,000 after acquiring an additional 11,513 shares during the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,789,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 182,619 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $22,062,000 after buying an additional 20,260 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $135.08. 7,047,080 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,347,948. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $150.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94. The business's 50-day moving average price is $124.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $123.19. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $97.53 and a 1-year high of $136.63.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. TJX Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total value of $988,240.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,569,772.67. This represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on TJX shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, TJX Companies presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.11.

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.