Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Lowers Stock Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC reduced its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 33.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,773,923 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 1,920,938 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for about 1.5% of Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.34% of TJX Companies worth $455,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in TJX. Bogart Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the third quarter worth $30,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX stock opened at $121.92 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.69 and a 200-day moving average of $120.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $128.33. 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 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. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion for 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, sell-side analysts predict 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. Stockholders 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on TJX shares. Citigroup upgraded TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $128.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. StockNews.com downgraded TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In related news, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at $59,569,772.67. The trade was a 4.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.