Utah Retirement Systems Grows Stock Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Utah Retirement Systems raised its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 188,046 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after buying an additional 600 shares during the quarter. Utah Retirement Systems’ holdings in TJX Companies were worth $22,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TJX. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of TJX opened at $128.14 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.39 and a 12-month high of $131.30. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $122.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.24 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.425 per share. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TJX Companies news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $59,569,772.67. This trade represents a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on TJX. UBS Group raised their target price on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.38.

About TJX Companies

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.