Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,221,951 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after buying an additional 36,927 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $114,631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,728 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,606 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 467.7% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 21,420 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after acquiring an additional 17,647 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 14,438 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,283,000 after acquiring an additional 1,731 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 104,156 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $9,257,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the period. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TJX opened at $96.36 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $97.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.87. The TJX Companies, Inc. 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. The stock has a market cap of $109.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.86.

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

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

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

In other TJX Companies news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 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. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Redburn Atlantic downgraded TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 5th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.65.

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.