Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Buys 1,358 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 129,362 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,358 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies comprises 0.8% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $12,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX Companies stock traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $92.82. 1,644,148 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,979,190. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $97.69 and a 200 day moving average of $93.59. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.65 and a 1-year high of $102.84. The company has a market capitalization of $105.16 billion, a PE ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced its 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. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.46%.

TJX Companies declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 28th that permits the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the apparel and home fashions retailer to reacquire up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

TJX Companies 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.