Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Boosts Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 129,362 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies makes up 0.8% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $12,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Trading Up 0.2 %

TJX stock traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $92.82. 1,644,148 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,979,190. The company has a market capitalization of $105.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.01, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. 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 fifty-two week low of $75.65 and a fifty-two week high of $102.84. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $97.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.59.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 64.18%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.46%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on TJX. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut shares of TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.19.

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.