TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) Downgraded to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on TJX. Barclays upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of TJX Companies in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.06.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

NYSE TJX opened at $128.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. TJX Companies has a 1 year low of $93.39 and a 1 year high of $131.30. The company has a market capitalization of $143.72 billion, a PE ratio of 30.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a fifty day moving average of $122.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.70.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $16.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.24 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 61.82% and a net margin of 8.63%. As a group, analysts expect that TJX Companies will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total transaction of $2,882,346.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $59,569,772.67. This represents a 4.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total value of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TJX Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TJX. Norges Bank purchased a new position in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,670,565,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in TJX Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $570,342,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in TJX Companies by 14,486.1% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,912,116 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $354,696,000 after acquiring an additional 2,892,151 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in TJX Companies by 689.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,595,085 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $313,512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,266,415 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in TJX Companies by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 13,985,826 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock worth $1,689,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,225 shares during the last quarter. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.