Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $68.74 Million Holdings in The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 0.4% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 584,802 shares of the apparel and home fashions retailer’s stock after selling 2,597 shares during the period. TJX Companies comprises approximately 1.3% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in TJX Companies were worth $68,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Richard W. Paul & Associates LLC bought a new position in TJX Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in TJX Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Copeland Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in TJX Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in shares of TJX Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of TJX Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. 91.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

TJX Companies Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of TJX stock traded down $0.63 on Thursday, hitting $120.50. 236,778 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,205,721. The stock has a market capitalization of $135.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $116.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.21. The TJX Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $87.26 and a one year high of $121.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 1.21.

TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 21st. The apparel and home fashions retailer reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.31 billion. TJX Companies had a return on equity of 63.19% and a net margin of 8.56%. TJX Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The TJX Companies, Inc. will post 4.14 EPS for the current year.

TJX Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.24%. TJX Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TJX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded TJX Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, September 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on TJX Companies from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of TJX Companies from $114.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $134.00 target price on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $127.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Ernie Herrman sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.54, for a total transaction of $1,763,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 536,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,018,835.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

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.