Empirical Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Empirical Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 21,497 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,363 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $2,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in TJX Companies by 33.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 12,241,176 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,347,934,000 after purchasing an additional 3,063,318 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 13,309.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,191,155 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $140,008,000 after buying an additional 1,182,272 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its position in shares of TJX Companies by 161.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,786,652 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $210,003,000 after buying an additional 1,102,912 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 281.6% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,235,037 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $145,166,000 after acquiring an additional 911,351 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in TJX Companies by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 7,031,237 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $850,428,000 after acquiring an additional 827,103 shares during the period. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX opened at $121.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $128.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $122.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.38. The firm has a market cap of $137.03 billion, a PE ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.91.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.95 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. The business’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 13th. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is currently 35.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded TJX Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 30th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $138.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $134.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Friday, December 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.33.

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.