The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 289.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,105 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,175 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $2,791,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TJX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 113.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,039 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,817,000 after purchasing an additional 8,002 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $698,000. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 17,366 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $2,098,000 after acquiring an additional 532 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 4,869 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Peak Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Peak Financial Management Inc. now owns 3,366 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 725 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value of $2,882,346.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at $59,569,772.67. This represents a 4.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on TJX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $127.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up previously from $137.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Loop Capital set a $150.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.65.

TJX Companies Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:TJX opened at $125.77 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $140.49 billion, a PE ratio of 29.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $101.01 and a twelve month high of $135.85. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $123.68.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The business had revenue of $13.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.425 dividend. This is an increase from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 40.00%.

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.