Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Invests $6.34 Million in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 52,459 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $6,338,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TJX. Bogart Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Price Performance

NYSE:TJX opened at $124.99 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $140.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.41, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $121.65 and a 200-day moving average of $120.31. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $128.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.19.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.24 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. This is a boost 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 currently 35.21%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $988,240.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 directly owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at $59,569,772.67. This trade represents a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on TJX shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays increased their target price on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, TJX Companies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.06.

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.