The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Tufton Capital Management

Tufton Capital Management reduced its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 138,784 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 5,420 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies makes up approximately 2.7% of Tufton Capital Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Tufton Capital Management’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $13,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,053,982.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

TJX Companies Stock Performance

NYSE TJX traded up $0.22 on Thursday, reaching $93.35. The stock had a trading volume of 862,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,991,090. 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 TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.65 and a 12-month high of $102.84. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $97.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.59. The stock has a market cap of $105.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued 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 company had revenue of $16.41 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current year.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 28th that allows the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is presently 38.86%.

About TJX Companies

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.