Van ECK Associates Corp Boosts Stake in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 4.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 306,158 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,930 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $33,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in TJX Companies by 260.3% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 245 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC purchased a new position in TJX Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. First Pacific Financial purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

TJX Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TJX traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $117.27. 6,369,587 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,430,519. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $132.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.88. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.71 and a 1 year high of $121.13. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.15.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.04. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 63.19% and a net margin of 8.56%. The firm had revenue of $13.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

TJX Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on TJX. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $116.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $126.76.

TJX Companies 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.