Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX)

The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) was the target of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders bought 22,354 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 116% compared to the typical volume of 10,339 call options.

TJX Companies Price Performance

TJX Companies stock opened at $120.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. TJX Companies has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $128.00. The firm has a market cap of $135.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.96. The company’s 50 day moving average is $121.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.19.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on TJX. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on TJX Companies from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of TJX Companies from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of TJX Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of TJX Companies from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on TJX Companies from $148.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.06.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

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.