Columbia Asset Management Acquires 3,753 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Columbia Asset Management grew its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 85.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,152 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after buying an additional 3,753 shares during the quarter. Columbia Asset Management's holdings in TJX Companies were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in TJX Companies by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,314,635 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock worth $11,998,201,000 after acquiring an additional 578,948 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 1.0% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,556,435 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $5,589,783,000 after purchasing an additional 469,287 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 worth $2,930,965,000 after purchasing an additional 464,995 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth $1,670,565,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,271,499 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock valued at $837,951,000 after buying an additional 657,529 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company's stock.

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TJX Companies Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:TJX traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $125.32. 11,385,422 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,237,262. The company has a market cap of $140.88 billion, a PE ratio of 29.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $128.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $121.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.31.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.21%.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the firm's 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 of the company's stock, 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 insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Guggenheim raised their target price on TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on TJX Companies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.76.

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.