The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Norinchukin Bank The

Norinchukin Bank The reduced its stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 277,248 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 6,591 shares during the quarter. TJX Companies accounts for 0.7% of Norinchukin Bank The’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $33,494,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in TJX Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 99,314,635 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $11,998,201,000 after purchasing an additional 578,948 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,322,579 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $2,930,965,000 after purchasing an additional 464,995 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in TJX Companies by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,647,792 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,769,600,000 after buying an additional 626,739 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,670,565,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in TJX Companies by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,753,021 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,057,452,000 after buying an additional 363,879 shares during the period. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TJX Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE TJX opened at $127.51 on Friday. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $131.30. The company has a market capitalization of $142.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $121.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.01.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.07. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The company had revenue of $16.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.24 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

TJX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays upped their price target on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com downgraded TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value of $2,882,346.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at $59,569,772.67. This represents a 4.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.13% 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.