The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC reduced its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 29.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,426 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 9,774 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $2,198,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 76.0% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 389 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 86.7% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 478 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of TJX Companies stock opened at $95.11 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $107.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.65 and a 52-week high of $102.84. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.06.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $16.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is currently 34.46%.

TJX Companies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TJX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group raised TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.