Traders Buy High Volume of TJX Companies Call Options (NYSE:TJX)

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders acquired 22,354 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 116% compared to the average volume of 10,339 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on TJX. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on TJX Companies from $136.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on TJX Companies from $133.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Three equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.06.

TJX Companies Price Performance

Shares of TJX stock traded up $0.85 on Thursday, hitting $120.55. 2,601,279 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,854,444. The firm has a market cap of $135.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.36, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.19. TJX Companies has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $128.00.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 23,428 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.03, for a total value of $2,882,346.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 484,189 shares in the company, valued at $59,569,772.67. The trade was a 4.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Alan M. Bennett sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.53, for a total transaction of $988,240.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bogart Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC purchased a new stake in TJX Companies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new stake in shares of TJX Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 91.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.