Ethic Inc. Purchases 9,758 Shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Ethic Inc. grew its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 5.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 176,927 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after buying an additional 9,758 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $21,713,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in TJX Companies by 113.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,039 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,817,000 after purchasing an additional 8,002 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in TJX Companies by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,172 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in TJX Companies by 45.8% in the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 6,900 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $834,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares in the last quarter. Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $974,000. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA raised its stake in TJX Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA now owns 13,609 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Stock Down 0.8%

TJX Companies stock opened at $132.99 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $110.24 and a 12-month high of $135.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $125.83 and its 200 day moving average is $125.05. The company has a market capitalization of $148.56 billion, a PE ratio of 31.29, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.89.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 58.81%. The company had revenue of $13.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. TJX Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.425 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $1.70 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 40.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TJX Companies news, Director Amy B. Lane sold 950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.09, for a total transaction of $121,685.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,909,180.08. This represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TJX has been the subject of several analyst reports. Daiwa America upgraded shares of TJX Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. TD Securities boosted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $140.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Daiwa Capital Markets began coverage on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $133.00 target price for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $141.33.

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.