Investors Purchase Large Volume of TJX Companies Call Options (NYSE:TJX)

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors bought 19,029 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 67% compared to the average volume of 11,421 call options.

TJX Companies Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of TJX Companies stock opened at $126.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $142.52 billion, a PE ratio of 29.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $117.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.19. TJX Companies has a 52-week low of $87.44 and a 52-week high of $128.00.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that TJX Companies will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is 35.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on TJX. Evercore ISI raised their price target on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $142.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America raised their target price on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $114.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.47.

Insider Activity at TJX Companies

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 15,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.54, for a total transaction of $1,763,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 536,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,018,835.92. This trade represents a 2.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of TJX Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TJX. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in TJX Companies by 9.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,271,499 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $837,951,000 after acquiring an additional 657,529 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp grew its holdings in TJX Companies by 1.6% during the third quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 463,308 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $54,457,000 after purchasing an additional 7,292 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its position in TJX Companies by 2.6% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 111,005 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $13,048,000 after buying an additional 2,830 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in TJX Companies by 28.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 238,649 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $28,051,000 after buying an additional 53,264 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of TJX Companies by 691.6% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 71,837 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $8,444,000 after buying an additional 62,762 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

TJX Companies Company Profile

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.