We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX - Free Report) posted third-quarter fiscal 2019 results, wherein both earnings and revenues improved year over year on the back of continued improvement in customer traffic. Also, management raised its outlook for fiscal 2019.
We note that this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has gained nearly 23% in the past six months, while the industry rallied 13.4%.
Quarterly Details
The company’s earnings came in at 61 cents per share compared with 50 cents in the year-ago period. Excluding a pension charge of 2 cents, earnings came in at 63 cents per share. Excluding a benefit from 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and a pension settlement charge, adjusted earnings came in at 54 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 61 cents.
The TJX Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Net sales advanced about 12% year over year to $9,825.8 million, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9,496 million. Sales were backed by solid comparable store sales (comps), which continued to gain strength from robust customer traffic across all segments. Also, net sales growth included a 1% adverse impact from currency movements.
TJX Companies' consolidated comps grew 7% year over year. Comps primarily benefited from increased customer traffic at all segments. Management is particularly impressed with the performance of its largest division — Marmaxx. Notably, the quarter marked the 17th straight period of higher customer traffic for both Marmaxx and the company as a whole.
Segment wise, comps rose 7%, 5%, 3% and 9, respectively, in HomeGoods, TJX Canada, TJX International and Marmaxx segments.
Gross margin fell 0.9 percentage point (pp) to 28.9% on account of escalated freight expenses, supply-chain costs and adverse comparisons associated with inventor hedges. This was partly compensated by robust expense leverage.
Selling, general and administrative costs as a percentage of sales fell 0.2 pp to 17.9%.
Other Financial Updates
The company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2,711.8 million, long-term debt of $2,232.9 million and total shareholders’ equity of $5,256.9 million. Cash flow from operations for the 39-week period ended Nov 3, 2018 was $2,477.8 million.
Consolidated inventories on a per-store basis (including distribution centers and excluding e-commerce and inventory in transit) increased 9% (up 10% on a constant currency basis) year over year. The company is well positioned to take advantage of solid opportunities in the market for branded merchandise, particularly in the holiday season, given its impressive inventory and liquidity position.
During the quarter, the company returned approximately $841 million to shareholders. As part of this, TJX Companies repurchased 11.4 million shares for $600 million and paid dividends worth $241 million. In the first nine months of fiscal 2019, TJX Companies repurchased 34 million shares for $1.6 billion, while it paid dividends worth nearly $682 million.
For fiscal 2019, the company expects to repurchase shares worth approximately $2.5 billion.
During the quarter, TJX Companies announced a 2-for-1 stock split through a stock dividend. This was distributed on Nov 6, 2018 to stockholders of record as on Oct 30.
During the quarter, the company added 102 stores, taking its total store count to 4,296 stores as of Nov 3, 2018.
Fiscal 2019 Guidance
Management is impressed with its solid earnings and comps performance, which continued to be driven by robust customer traffic and successful implementation of the company’s off-price fundamentals. Markedly, the company’s apparel business performed exceptionally well. Consumers’ favorable response to TJX Companies’ impressive brand portfolio and consistent rise in customer traffic keep management encouraged about witnessing continued market share gains.
TJX Companies further stated that it commenced the fourth quarter on a strong note, and is focused on boosting traffic during the holiday season through its gifting and marketing initiatives. These factors along with a stellar third-quarter show led to a raised guidance for fiscal 2019.
Consolidated comps are now expected to grow 5% in fiscal 2019, up from 3-4% growth projected earlier. Management also expects Marmaxx to witness comps growth of 6% now, up from the prior forecast of 3-4%.
For fiscal 2019, TJX Companies projects adjusted earnings per share of $2.08-$2.09 (on a post-split basis), reflecting year-over-year growth of 8%. Earlier, management expected the bottom line to be in $2.05-$2.07 (on a post-split basis), representing 6-8% increase from the year-ago period.
Including benefits from tax-reforms and pension settlement charges, earnings are anticipated to be $2.41-$2.43 per share compared with $2.02 in the year-ago quarter.
However, wage increases and higher freight costs are now expected to negatively impact earnings per share growth by 5%.
Q4 View
The company expects consolidated comps growth of 2-3% in the fourth quarter. The company expects adjusted earnings of 56-57 cents per share (on a post-split basis) compared with 59 cents in the year-ago period. Including benefits from tax reforms, earnings are expected to come in the range of 66 - 67 cents per share. Further, wage increases and higher freight costs are expected to negatively impact earnings per share growth by 5%.
Target (TGT - Free Report) , also with a Zacks Rank #2, has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 6.7%.
Ross Stores (ROST - Free Report) , with a Zacks Rank #2, has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 10%.
Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?
Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.
With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.
Image: Bigstock
TJX Companies (TJX) Raises View on Solid Q3 Earnings & Sales
The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX - Free Report) posted third-quarter fiscal 2019 results, wherein both earnings and revenues improved year over year on the back of continued improvement in customer traffic. Also, management raised its outlook for fiscal 2019.
We note that this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has gained nearly 23% in the past six months, while the industry rallied 13.4%.
Quarterly Details
The company’s earnings came in at 61 cents per share compared with 50 cents in the year-ago period. Excluding a pension charge of 2 cents, earnings came in at 63 cents per share. Excluding a benefit from 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and a pension settlement charge, adjusted earnings came in at 54 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 61 cents.
The TJX Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
The TJX Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | The TJX Companies, Inc. Quote
Net sales advanced about 12% year over year to $9,825.8 million, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9,496 million. Sales were backed by solid comparable store sales (comps), which continued to gain strength from robust customer traffic across all segments. Also, net sales growth included a 1% adverse impact from currency movements.
TJX Companies' consolidated comps grew 7% year over year. Comps primarily benefited from increased customer traffic at all segments. Management is particularly impressed with the performance of its largest division — Marmaxx. Notably, the quarter marked the 17th straight period of higher customer traffic for both Marmaxx and the company as a whole.
Segment wise, comps rose 7%, 5%, 3% and 9, respectively, in HomeGoods, TJX Canada, TJX International and Marmaxx segments.
Gross margin fell 0.9 percentage point (pp) to 28.9% on account of escalated freight expenses, supply-chain costs and adverse comparisons associated with inventor hedges. This was partly compensated by robust expense leverage.
Selling, general and administrative costs as a percentage of sales fell 0.2 pp to 17.9%.
Other Financial Updates
The company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2,711.8 million, long-term debt of $2,232.9 million and total shareholders’ equity of $5,256.9 million. Cash flow from operations for the 39-week period ended Nov 3, 2018 was $2,477.8 million.
Consolidated inventories on a per-store basis (including distribution centers and excluding e-commerce and inventory in transit) increased 9% (up 10% on a constant currency basis) year over year. The company is well positioned to take advantage of solid opportunities in the market for branded merchandise, particularly in the holiday season, given its impressive inventory and liquidity position.
During the quarter, the company returned approximately $841 million to shareholders. As part of this, TJX Companies repurchased 11.4 million shares for $600 million and paid dividends worth $241 million. In the first nine months of fiscal 2019, TJX Companies repurchased 34 million shares for $1.6 billion, while it paid dividends worth nearly $682 million.
For fiscal 2019, the company expects to repurchase shares worth approximately $2.5 billion.
During the quarter, TJX Companies announced a 2-for-1 stock split through a stock dividend. This was distributed on Nov 6, 2018 to stockholders of record as on Oct 30.
During the quarter, the company added 102 stores, taking its total store count to 4,296 stores as of Nov 3, 2018.
Fiscal 2019 Guidance
Management is impressed with its solid earnings and comps performance, which continued to be driven by robust customer traffic and successful implementation of the company’s off-price fundamentals. Markedly, the company’s apparel business performed exceptionally well. Consumers’ favorable response to TJX Companies’ impressive brand portfolio and consistent rise in customer traffic keep management encouraged about witnessing continued market share gains.
TJX Companies further stated that it commenced the fourth quarter on a strong note, and is focused on boosting traffic during the holiday season through its gifting and marketing initiatives. These factors along with a stellar third-quarter show led to a raised guidance for fiscal 2019.
Consolidated comps are now expected to grow 5% in fiscal 2019, up from 3-4% growth projected earlier. Management also expects Marmaxx to witness comps growth of 6% now, up from the prior forecast of 3-4%.
For fiscal 2019, TJX Companies projects adjusted earnings per share of $2.08-$2.09 (on a post-split basis), reflecting year-over-year growth of 8%. Earlier, management expected the bottom line to be in $2.05-$2.07 (on a post-split basis), representing 6-8% increase from the year-ago period.
Including benefits from tax-reforms and pension settlement charges, earnings are anticipated to be $2.41-$2.43 per share compared with $2.02 in the year-ago quarter.
However, wage increases and higher freight costs are now expected to negatively impact earnings per share growth by 5%.
Q4 View
The company expects consolidated comps growth of 2-3% in the fourth quarter. The company expects adjusted earnings of 56-57 cents per share (on a post-split basis) compared with 59 cents in the year-ago period. Including benefits from tax reforms, earnings are expected to come in the range of 66 - 67 cents per share. Further, wage increases and higher freight costs are expected to negatively impact earnings per share growth by 5%.
Check These Solid Retail Bets
Dollar General (DG - Free Report) , with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 13.6%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Target (TGT - Free Report) , also with a Zacks Rank #2, has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 6.7%.
Ross Stores (ROST - Free Report) , with a Zacks Rank #2, has long-term earnings per share growth rate of 10%.
Will You Make a Fortune on the Shift to Electric Cars?
Here's another stock idea to consider. Much like petroleum 150 years ago, lithium power may soon shake the world, creating millionaires and reshaping geo-politics. Soon electric vehicles (EVs) may be cheaper than gas guzzlers. Some are already reaching 265 miles on a single charge.
With battery prices plummeting and charging stations set to multiply, one company stands out as the #1 stock to buy according to Zacks research.
It's not the one you think.
See This Ticker Free >>