TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com cut shares of TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

TJX Companies Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:TJX opened at $121.92 on Friday. TJX Companies has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $128.33. The company has a market capitalization of $137.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $121.69 and a 200-day moving average of $120.37.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued 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 business had revenue of $16.35 billion during 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that TJX Companies will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.425 per share. This is an increase from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.21%.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In other news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 accessible through this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TJX Companies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in TJX Companies by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,314,635 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $11,998,201,000 after purchasing an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,322,579 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $2,930,965,000 after buying an additional 464,995 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,647,792 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,769,600,000 after buying an additional 626,739 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,985,826 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,689,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,225 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,670,565,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.