Avity Investment Management Inc. Lowers Position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Avity Investment Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 362,159 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 2,405 shares during the period. TJX Companies makes up approximately 3.0% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $36,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 96,206,766 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $9,025,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071,078 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in TJX Companies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 24,752,978 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $2,200,045,000 after purchasing an additional 371,163 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in TJX Companies by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,219,312 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,333,913,000 after buying an additional 1,046,148 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,193,438,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of TJX Companies by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,534,165 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $612,970,000 after acquiring an additional 115,304 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TJX Companies stock traded down $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $110.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,781,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,462,926. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $82.25 and a one year high of $111.79. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $102.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $124.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.87.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 22nd. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $12.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.48 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 64.26%. TJX Companies’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.76 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on TJX. Evercore ISI set a $113.00 price target on TJX Companies in a report on Tuesday, May 21st. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on TJX Companies from $112.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on TJX Companies from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $114.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Tuesday, May 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $109.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $110.37.

Insider Transactions at TJX Companies

In other TJX Companies news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 8,171 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.73, for a total transaction of $831,235.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 49,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,042,756.10. 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 8,171 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.73, for a total transaction of $831,235.83. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 49,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,042,756.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.17, for a total transaction of $2,043,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 571,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,354,191.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 50,003 shares of company stock worth $5,060,941. 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.