Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. Sells 3,378 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. decreased its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,261 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 3,378 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $4,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.4 %

TJX stock traded down $0.44 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $125.27. 2,331,123 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,373,229. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $93.39 and a one year high of $131.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $139.94 billion, a PE ratio of 29.48, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $121.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.18.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. 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. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on TJX shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays upped 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.76.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.