The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Holdings Cut by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lowered its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 50.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 204,495 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 205,006 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $19,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TJX. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 90,089.8% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,788,543 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,575,168,000 after acquiring an additional 19,766,602 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in TJX Companies by 88.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 26,619,778 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $2,118,935,000 after acquiring an additional 12,468,119 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $891,631,000. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $408,331,000. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of TJX Companies by 13.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 52,008,484 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $4,622,514,000 after buying an additional 6,036,764 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.09% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.5 %

TJX Companies stock opened at $92.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $104.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.86. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.65 and a 1 year high of $102.84. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.59.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last posted 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 the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $16.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.20 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a return on equity of 64.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 28th that permits the company to buyback $2.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the apparel and home fashions retailer to repurchase up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This is a positive change from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. TJX Companies’s payout ratio is 34.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on TJX. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 28th. UBS Group lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic cut TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.19.

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.