Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 86.7% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 478 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TJX has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group upgraded TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $104.00 to $132.00 in a research report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic lowered TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 5th. 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 note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, TJX Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at TJX Companies

In other news, EVP Louise Greenlees sold 2,694 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,968,480.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 stock was sold at an average price of $98.83, for a total value of $266,248.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 50,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,968,480.59. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total value of $1,979,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares in the company, valued at $51,053,982.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

TJX Companies Trading Up 2.5 %

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

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.10. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 64.18% and a net margin of 8.25%. The firm had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

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

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

TJX Companies 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.