The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) Stock Holdings Boosted by Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.

Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. boosted its position in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 13.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 83,454 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,988 shares during the quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $7,829,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TJX has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of TJX Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of TJX Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $100.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group increased their target price on TJX Companies from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of TJX Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.98, for a total transaction of $1,979,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 515,801 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,053,982.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other TJX Companies news, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 20,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:TJX traded down $0.63 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $94.24. The stock had a trading volume of 1,531,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,010,050. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.98. 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 52 week low of $75.65 and a 52 week high of $102.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.86.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is a boost from TJX Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.46%.

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

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.