The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Empire Life Investments Inc.

Empire Life Investments Inc. reduced its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 267,516 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 56,675 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for 2.0% of Empire Life Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Empire Life Investments Inc.'s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $32,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 1.5% in the third 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 buying an additional 363,707 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 7.5% in the third 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 buying an additional 643,833 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 9.9% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 827,103 shares during the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

TJX Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

TJX traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $123.41. 3,678,721 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,269,354. 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 $92.35 and a 12-month high of $128.00. The firm has a market cap 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $123.07 and a 200 day moving average 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on TJX shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com raised shares of TJX Companies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, November 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned 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 price target of $134.18.

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.