The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. cut its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,072,715 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer's stock after selling 15,173 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.10% of TJX Companies worth $129,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Promus Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on TJX. Citigroup raised shares of TJX Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $128.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, TJX Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

In other news, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total value of $988,240.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 484,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $59,569,772.67. This 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 company insiders.

TJX Companies Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE TJX traded up $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $125.82. The stock had a trading volume of 2,169,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,372,652. 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 market cap of $140.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.39 and a fifty-two week high of $131.30. The business's 50-day moving average price is $121.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.18.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.24 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. On average, equities research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. This is a boost from TJX Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. TJX Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.91%.

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.