Columbia Asset Management Increases Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Columbia Asset Management boosted its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 85.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,152 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,753 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,641,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 38.0% in the fourth quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 422,387 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $51,147,000 after acquiring an additional 116,298 shares in the last quarter. OV Management LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 20,228 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $2,444,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of TJX Companies by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 35,041 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $4,233,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 64.8% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 432,770 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $52,283,000 after purchasing an additional 170,151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX opened at $122.68 on Wednesday. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $128.00. The company has a market cap of $137.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.28. 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) last announced its quarterly 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 analyst estimates of $16.24 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.425 per share. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. This is an increase from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is 35.21%.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value 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. The trade was a 4.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on TJX shares. StockNews.com raised TJX Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.06.

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.