The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Shares Sold by Empire Life Investments Inc.

Empire Life Investments Inc. cut its holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 267,516 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 56,675 shares during the period. TJX Companies accounts for about 2.0% of Empire Life Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Empire Life Investments Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $32,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TJX. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC lifted its position in TJX Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 17,926 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $2,107,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in TJX Companies by 3.4% in the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,706 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Hamilton Capital LLC lifted its position in TJX Companies by 3.9% in the third quarter. Hamilton Capital LLC now owns 2,413 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Breakwater Capital Group lifted its position in TJX Companies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 7,696 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $930,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in TJX Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,778 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $1,060,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on TJX. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $131.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $133.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.53.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TJX opened at $124.33 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $119.03. The company has a market cap of $139.77 billion, a PE ratio of 29.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.91.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 20th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $14.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.95 billion. TJX Companies had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 61.82%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.03 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 13th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 13th. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.29%.

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.