The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Essex Financial Services Inc.

Essex Financial Services Inc. reduced its position in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,350 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 737 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $4,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TJX opened at $124.92 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $140.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.39, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.91. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $128.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.76. 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 (NYSE:TJX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.95 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.03 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 13th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TJX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.53.

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.