Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. $TJX

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 63.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,499,665 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 584,604 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $239,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TJX. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna increased its stake in TJX Companies by 120.3% in the 4th quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 163 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of TJX Companies by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 174 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank cut TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (up from $168.00) on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of TJX Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $173.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $176.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman Carol Meyrowitz sold 55,624 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.65, for a total transaction of $9,102,867.60. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 201,496 shares in the company, valued at $32,974,820.40. This represents a 21.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO John Klinger sold 6,235 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.77, for a total transaction of $1,002,400.95. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 64,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,330,597.89. This trade represents a 8.84% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 130,367 shares of company stock valued at $20,959,476. 0.15% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX opened at $154.15 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $157.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $123.78 and a twelve month high of $170.00. The company has a market cap of $170.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.63.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.17. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 57.92% and a net margin of 9.40%.The business had revenue of $14.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. TJX Companies has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.080-5.150 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 1.150-1.170 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 13th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.28%.

TJX Companies Profile

TJX Companies, Inc is a leading off-price retailer of apparel, footwear, home fashions and other consumer goods. The company operates multiple retail concepts that offer discounted brand-name and designer merchandise, including well-known banners such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in the United States, HomeGoods for home furnishings, TK Maxx in parts of Europe, and Winners and Homesense in Canada. Merchandise categories span women’s, men’s and children’s apparel, accessories, beauty, home décor, kitchenware and small furniture, with frequent changes in assortment that create a “treasure-hunt” shopping experience for consumers.

The company’s business model centers on opportunistic buying, purchasing excess, irregular or out-of-season inventory from manufacturers, department stores and other suppliers, and passing savings to customers through lower prices.