Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Decreases Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,917 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 845 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $2,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of TJX. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 168 shares during the period. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its stake in TJX Companies by 86.7% during the 4th 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 during the period. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total transaction of $266,248.02. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction of $1,979,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

TJX Companies Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded up $2.34 on Monday, hitting $97.45. 6,048,244 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,093,906. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.65 and a 52 week high of $102.84. The company has a market cap of $110.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $96.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 64.18%. The company had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 28th that permits the company to buyback $2.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel and home fashions retailer to buy up to 2.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 34.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on TJX shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. 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 report on Thursday, February 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.29.

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.