The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $102.65.

Several research firms recently commented on TJX. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group boosted their target price on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TJX Companies stock opened at $96.36 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $93.87. The company has a market cap of $109.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.86. TJX Companies has a one year low of $75.65 and a one year high of $102.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.21.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $16.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that TJX Companies will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 28th that allows the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the apparel and home fashions retailer to reacquire up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TJX Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Conning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 5.8% in the first quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 56,946 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $5,775,000 after purchasing an additional 3,112 shares in the last quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC increased its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC now owns 11,750 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,105,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 21.0% during the 1st quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,908 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Harrington Investments INC lifted its stake in TJX Companies by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Harrington Investments INC now owns 34,827 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BLB&B Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $6,635,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.