Prudential PLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Prudential PLC lowered its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 34.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,257 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 28,336 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $6,555,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in TJX Companies by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,228,840 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $148,456,000 after buying an additional 13,036 shares during the period. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $433,000. BLB&B Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 81,079 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $9,795,000 after purchasing an additional 2,201 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in TJX Companies by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,186 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $4,130,000 after purchasing an additional 3,691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH bought a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $604,000. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on TJX. StockNews.com cut TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

TJX Companies Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:TJX opened at $121.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $137.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 1.19. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $128.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $121.69 and a 200 day moving average of $120.37.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last posted 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $16.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.24 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.425 dividend. This represents a $1.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is presently 35.21%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,569,772.67. This trade represents a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were 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. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.