Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 124.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,286,879 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 714,589 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC owned 0.11% of TJX Companies worth $120,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 80.7% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 1,254,186 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $117,654,000 after acquiring an additional 560,273 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in TJX Companies by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 23,394 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $2,195,000 after purchasing an additional 843 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 306,839 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $28,785,000 after purchasing an additional 27,246 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in TJX Companies by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 124,015 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $11,634,000 after buying an additional 1,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,628 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX traded up $1.28 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $95.10. 3,903,902 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,043,430. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.65 and a 1 year high of $102.84. The company’s 50-day moving average is $97.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.02. The company has a market capitalization of $107.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.30, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.87.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 64.18%. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. TJX Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is 34.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TJX has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Redburn Atlantic lowered TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.29.

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.