Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC Raises Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,253 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after buying an additional 124 shares during the quarter. Epic Trust Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $399,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in TJX. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 76.0% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 389 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in TJX Companies by 86.7% in the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 478 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

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

TJX Companies Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of TJX stock traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $94.16. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,525,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,027,382. 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 52-week low of $75.65 and a 52-week high of $102.84. The stock has a market cap of $106.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.40, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $97.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $93.98.

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

TJX Companies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 28th that allows the company to repurchase $2.50 billion in outstanding 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 programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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 fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.65.

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.