Blue Trust Inc. Decreases Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 41.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,334 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 10,035 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $1,732,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,556,435 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $5,589,783,000 after acquiring an additional 469,287 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 23,857,584 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $2,795,121,000 after acquiring an additional 363,707 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 9,182,564 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $1,079,319,000 after acquiring an additional 643,833 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in TJX Companies by 9.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,271,499 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $837,951,000 after buying an additional 657,529 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in TJX Companies by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 7,031,237 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $850,428,000 after buying an additional 827,103 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded down $0.42 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $123.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,528,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,264,647. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. 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 capitalization of $138.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $123.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.34.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The firm had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock 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 assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $134.18.

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.