February 28, 2016 NYSE: TJX TJX COMPANIES INC BUY A+ A A- HOLD B+ B Annual Dividend Rate $0.84 B- C+ C Annual Dividend Yield 1.11% SELL C- D+ D Beta 0.56 Sector: Consumer Goods & Svcs TJX BUSINESS DESCRIPTION The TJX Companies, Inc. operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX Europe. STOCK PERFORMANCE (%) 3 Mo. Price Change 4.78 Weekly Price: (US$) D- E+ E E- F Market Capitalization $50.3 Billion Sub-Industry: Apparel Retail SMA (50) BUY 52-Week Range $63.53-$76.93 RATING SINCE TARGET PRICE 04/08/2009 $87.42 Price as of 2/25/2016 $75.08 Source: S&P SMA (100) 1 Year 2 Years 90 TARGET PRICE $87.42 TARGET TARGETPRICE PRICE$87.42 $87.42 TARGET PRICE $87.42 85 80 75 70 1 Yr. 8.21 3 Yr (Ann) 19.88 65 60 GROWTH (%) Last Qtr 7.92 2.81 6.45 Revenues Net Income EPS 12 Mo. 6.41 2.82 6.03 3 Yr CAGR 6.14 6.10 9.41 Ind Avg 45.80 240.49 24.31 S&P 500 12.28 14.59 13.97 50 Rating History BUY Volume in Millions RETURN ON EQUITY (%) TJX 52.88 51.94 50.53 Q4 2015 Q4 2014 Q4 2013 55 50 25 2014 2015 2016 0 COMPUSTAT for Price and Volume, TheStreet Ratings, Inc. for Rating History P/E COMPARISON RECOMMENDATION We rate TJX COMPANIES INC (TJX) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity, good cash flow from operations and solid stock price performance. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins. 22.48 27.13 21.53 TJX Ind Avg S&P 500 HIGHLIGHTS TJX's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 7.0%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 7.9%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share. EPS ANALYSIS¹ ($) The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.38, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. 2013 2014 Q4 0.99 Q3 0.86 Q2 0.80 Q1 0.69 Q4 0.93 Q3 0.85 Q2 0.73 Q1 0.64 Q4 0.81 Q3 0.86 Q2 0.66 Q1 0.62 The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. When compared to other companies in the Specialty Retail industry and the overall market, TJX COMPANIES INC's return on equity exceeds that of the industry average and significantly exceeds that of the S&P 500. 2015 NA = not available NM = not meaningful 1 Compustat fiscal year convention is used for all fundamental data items. The stock has not only risen over the past year, it has done so at a faster pace than the S&P 500, reflecting the earnings growth and other positive factors similar to those we have cited here. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year. TJX COMPANIES INC has improved earnings per share by 6.5% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, TJX COMPANIES INC increased its bottom line by earning $3.34 versus $3.15 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($3.48 versus $3.34). This report is for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Neither TheStreet Ratings nor any other party guarantees its accuracy or makes warranties regarding results from its usage. Redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of TheStreet Ratings. Copyright(c) 2006-2015. All rights reserved. Report Date: February 28, 2016 PAGE 1 February 28, 2016 NYSE: TJX TJX COMPANIES INC Sector: Consumer Goods & Svcs Apparel Retail Source: S&P Annual Dividend Rate $0.84 Annual Dividend Yield 1.11% PEER GROUP ANALYSIS 10% REVENUE GROWTH AND EBITDA MARGIN* ROST AEO TJX BURL Market Capitalization $50.3 Billion 52-Week Range $63.53-$76.93 Price as of 2/25/2016 $75.08 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS The specialty retail industry includes very well-known home improvement, apparel, automotive, and other narrow-focus stores such as Home Depot (HD), TJX Companies (TJX), Lowe’s Companies (LOW), Gap (GPS), Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY), Ross Stores (ROST), Limited Brands (LTD), O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY), PetSmart (PETM), Carmax (KMX), and Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW). V FA DSW Beta 0.56 AB OR Companies in this industry are judged based on the metric of same-store sales, a measurement that shows if stores open for more than one year are increasing top line revenue or shrinking. LE AB -12.5% R VO FA GES ANF 2% 16% EBITDA Margin (TTM) Companies with higher EBITDA margins and revenue growth rates are outperforming companies with lower EBITDA margins and revenue growth rates. Companies for this scatter plot have a market capitalization between $1.8 Billion and $50.3 Billion. Companies with NA or NM values do not appear. *EBITDA – Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization. 10% REVENUE GROWTH AND EARNINGS YIELD ROST AEO V FA LB DSW PEER GROUP: Specialty Retail Ticker TJX FL BURL URBN AEO LB ROST DSW ANF GES GPS Recent Company Name Price ($) TJX COMPANIES INC 75.08 FOOT LOCKER INC 67.03 BURLINGTON STORES INC 56.82 URBAN OUTFITTERS INC 26.50 AMERN EAGLE OUTFITTERS INC 14.92 L BRANDS INC 85.67 ROSS STORES INC 56.54 DSW INC 26.69 ABERCROMBIE & FITCH 28.20 GUESS INC 20.92 GAP INC 27.60 Market Cap ($M) 50,268 9,201 4,316 3,109 2,904 24,796 22,899 2,105 1,895 1,752 11,093 Price/ Earnings 22.48 18.07 29.59 NA 14.49 20.30 23.12 15.34 90.97 20.31 12.43 Net Sales TTM ($M) 30,944.94 7,316.00 5,077.70 3,445.13 3,487.87 12,154.04 11,721.97 2,588.39 3,525.29 2,137.08 15,797.00 Net Income TTM ($M) 2,277.66 529.00 146.57 151.61 198.04 1,253.02 1,005.03 155.05 22.22 88.00 920.00 The peer group comparison is based on Major Apparel Retail companies of comparable size. LE FL AB OR BURL TJX URBN GPS UN ANF LE AB -12.5% R VO FA Revenue Growth (TTM) The variety of product focuses targeted by specialty retail companies is very diverse. These include but are not limited to home improvement goods, pharmaceutical & beauty, shoes, electronics, and office supplies. Also included are stores narrowly focused on music, books, wine, games, rentals, vitamins, lumber, sporting goods, toys, jewelry, and fashion apparel for men, women, and teddy bears. Some of the larger specialty retail companies also profit from the extension of credit to their customers with branded credit cards. UN Revenue Growth (TTM) LE FL 1% GES 9% Earnings Yield (TTM) Companies that exhibit both a high earnings yield and high revenue growth are generally more attractive than companies with low revenue growth and low earnings yield. Companies for this scatter plot have revenue growth rates between -10.2% and 9%. Companies with NA or NM values do not appear. This report is for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Neither TheStreet Ratings nor any other party guarantees its accuracy or makes warranties regarding results from its usage. Redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of TheStreet Ratings. Copyright(c) 2006-2015. All rights reserved. Report Date: February 28, 2016 PAGE 2 February 28, 2016 NYSE: TJX TJX COMPANIES INC Sector: Consumer Goods & Svcs Apparel Retail Source: S&P Annual Dividend Rate $0.84 Annual Dividend Yield 1.11% COMPANY DESCRIPTION The TJX Companies, Inc. operates as an off-price apparel and home fashions retailer in the United States and internationally. It operates through four segments: Marmaxx, HomeGoods, TJX Canada, and TJX Europe. The company sells family apparel, including footwear and accessories; home fashions, such as home basics, accent furniture, lamps, rugs, wall decor, decorative accessories, and giftware; and other merchandise. It operates stores under the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Winners, HomeSense, T.K. Maxx, and Sierra Trading Post names, as well as operates e-commerce sites tjmaxx.com, tkmaxx.com, and sierratradingpost.com. The company operates approximately 3,300 stores. The TJX Companies, Inc. was founded in 1956 and is headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. TJX COMPANIES INC 770 Cochituate Road Framingham, MA 01701 USA Phone: 508-390-1000 http://www.tjx.com Beta 0.56 Market Capitalization $50.3 Billion 52-Week Range $63.53-$76.93 Price as of 2/25/2016 $75.08 STOCK-AT-A-GLANCE Below is a summary of the major fundamental and technical factors we consider when determining our overall recommendation of TJX shares. It is provided in order to give you a deeper understanding of our rating methodology as well as to paint a more complete picture of a stock's strengths and weaknesses. It is important to note, however, that these factors only tell part of the story. To gain an even more comprehensive understanding of our stance on the stock, these factors must be assessed in combination with the stock’s valuation. Please refer to our Valuation section on page 5 for further information. FACTOR SCORE 4.5 Growth out of 5 stars weak Measures the growth of both the company's income statement and cash flow. On this factor, TJX has a growth score better than 80% of the stocks we rate. strong 5.0 Total Return out of 5 stars weak Measures the historical price movement of the stock. The stock performance of this company has beaten 90% of the companies we cover. strong 5.0 Efficiency out of 5 stars weak Measures the strength and historic growth of a company's return on invested capital. The company has generated more income per dollar of capital than 90% of the companies we review. strong 5.0 Price volatility out of 5 stars weak Measures the volatility of the company's stock price historically. The stock is less volatile than 90% of the stocks we monitor. strong 5.0 Solvency out of 5 stars weak Measures the solvency of the company based on several ratios. The company is more solvent than 90% of the companies we analyze. strong 3.0 Income out of 5 stars weak Measures dividend yield and payouts to shareholders. The company's dividend is higher than 50% of the companies we track. strong THESTREET RATINGS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY TheStreet Ratings' stock model projects a stock's total return potential over a 12-month period including both price appreciation and dividends. Our Buy, Hold or Sell ratings designate how we expect these stocks to perform against a general benchmark of the equities market and interest rates. While our model is quantitative, it utilizes both subjective and objective elements. For instance, subjective elements include expected equities market returns, future interest rates, implied industry outlook and forecasted company earnings. Objective elements include volatility of past operating revenues, financial strength, and company cash flows. Our model gauges the relationship between risk and reward in several ways, including: the pricing drawdown as compared to potential profit volatility, i.e.how much one is willing to risk in order to earn profits; the level of acceptable volatility for highly performing stocks; the current valuation as compared to projected earnings growth; and the financial strength of the underlying company as compared to its stock's valuation as compared to projected earnings growth; and the financial strength of the underlying company as compared to its stock's performance. These and many more derived observations are then combined, ranked, weighted, and scenario-tested to create a more complete analysis. The result is a systematic and disciplined method of selecting stocks. This report is for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Neither TheStreet Ratings nor any other party guarantees its accuracy or makes warranties regarding results from its usage. Redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of TheStreet Ratings. Copyright(c) 2006-2015. All rights reserved. Report Date: February 28, 2016 PAGE 3 February 28, 2016 NYSE: TJX TJX COMPANIES INC Sector: Consumer Goods & Svcs Apparel Retail Source: S&P Annual Dividend Rate $0.84 Annual Dividend Yield 1.11% Consensus EPS Estimates² ($) IBES consensus estimates are provided by Thomson Financial Beta 0.56 Market Capitalization $50.3 Billion 52-Week Range $63.53-$76.93 Price as of 2/25/2016 $75.08 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS TJX COMPANIES INC's gross profit margin for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year 2015 is essentially unchanged when compared to the same period a year ago. The company managed to grow both sales and net income at a faster pace than the average competitor in its industry this quarter as compared to the same quarter a year ago. During the same period, stockholders' equity ("net worth") has remained virtually unchanged only decreasing by 1.00% from the same quarter last year. 0.71 3.48 E 3.88 E Q1 FY16 2017(E) 2018(E) STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12-months. To learn more visit www.TheStreetRatings.com. INCOME STATEMENT Net Sales ($mil) EBITDA ($mil) EBIT ($mil) Net Income ($mil) Q4 FY15 8,962.08 1,239.46 1,076.76 666.47 Q4 FY14 8,303.95 1,189.45 1,038.64 648.23 Q4 FY15 2,447.80 11,499.50 1,624.10 4,307.10 Q4 FY14 2,776.40 11,128.38 1,684.60 4,264.23 Q4 FY15 30.54% 13.83% 12.01% 2.69 19.80% 52.88% Q4 FY14 30.05% 14.32% 12.51% 2.61 19.90% 51.94% Q4 FY15 1.54 0.27 NA NA Q4 FY14 1.71 0.28 16.16 64.28 Q4 FY15 670 0.21 0.99 6.43 NA 3,469,609 Q4 FY14 685 0.18 0.93 6.23 NA 3,355,090 BALANCE SHEET Cash & Equiv. ($mil) Total Assets ($mil) Total Debt ($mil) Equity ($mil) PROFITABILITY Gross Profit Margin EBITDA Margin Operating Margin Sales Turnover Return on Assets Return on Equity DEBT Current Ratio Debt/Capital Interest Expense Interest Coverage SHARE DATA Shares outstanding (mil) Div / share EPS Book value / share Institutional Own % Avg Daily Volume 2 Sum of quarterly figures may not match annual estimates due to use of median consensus estimates. This report is for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Neither TheStreet Ratings nor any other party guarantees its accuracy or makes warranties regarding results from its usage. Redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of TheStreet Ratings. Copyright(c) 2006-2015. All rights reserved. Report Date: February 28, 2016 PAGE 4 February 28, 2016 NYSE: TJX TJX COMPANIES INC Sector: Consumer Goods & Svcs Apparel Retail Source: S&P Annual Dividend Rate $0.84 Annual Dividend Yield 1.11% RATINGS HISTORY Our rating for TJX COMPANIES INC has not changed since 4/8/2009. As of 2/25/2016, the stock was trading at a price of $75.08 which is 2.4% below its 52-week high of $76.93 and 18.2% above its 52-week low of $63.53. 2 Year Chart Beta 0.56 Market Capitalization $50.3 Billion BUY: $60.99 Price/Earnings 1 2 3 premium $60 2014 4 5 TJX 22.48 Peers 27.13 • Discount. A lower P/E ratio than its peers can signify a less expensive stock or lower growth expectations. • TJX is trading at a discount to its peers. Price/Projected Earnings From Buy To Buy RATINGS DEFINITIONS & DISTRIBUTION OF THESTREET RATINGS 3 32.19% Buy - We believe that this stock has the opportunity to appreciate and produce a total return of more than 10% over the next 12 months. 35.29% Hold - We do not believe this stock offers conclusive evidence to warrant the purchase or sale of shares at this time and that its likelihood of positive total return is roughly in balance with the risk of loss. 32.52% Sell - We believe that this stock is likely to decline by more than 10% over the next 12 months, with the risk involved too great to compensate for any possible returns. 4 5 Price/Book 1 2 3 premium 4 5 Price/Sales 1 2 premium 3 4 5 Price to Earnings/Growth 4 5 discount 1 2 3 premium 4 5 discount TJX 2.18 Peers 1.94 • Premium. The PEG ratio is the stock’s P/E divided by the consensus estimate of long-term earnings growth. Faster growth can justify higher price multiples. • TJX trades at a premium to its peers. Earnings Growth 1 2 3 4 lower 5 higher TJX 6.03 Peers 16.94 • Lower. Elevated earnings growth rates can lead to capital appreciation and justify higher price-to-earnings ratios. • However, TJX is expected to significantly trail its peers on the basis of its earnings growth rate. Sales Growth discount TJX 1.62 Peers 1.55 • Average. In the absence of P/E and P/B multiples, the price-to-sales ratio can display the value investors are placing on each dollar of sales. • TJX is trading at a valuation on par with its industry on this measurement. 3 TJX 16.98 Peers 15.49 • Average. The P/CF ratio, a stock’s price divided by the company's cash flow from operations, is useful for comparing companies with different capital requirements or financing structures. • TJX is trading at a valuation on par to its peers. discount TJX 11.67 Peers 12.59 • Average. A lower price-to-book ratio makes a stock more attractive to investors seeking stocks with lower market values per dollar of equity on the balance sheet. • TJX is trading at a valuation on par with its peers. 2 premium discount TJX 19.35 Peers 19.03 • Premium. A higher price-to-projected earnings ratio than its peers can signify a more expensive stock or higher future growth expectations. • TJX is trading at a premium to its peers. (as of 2/25/2016) Research Contact: 212-321-5381 Sales Contact: 866-321-8726 2 premium Price reflects the closing price as of the date listed, if available TheStreet Ratings 14 Wall Street, 15th Floor New York, NY 10005 www.thestreet.com 1 1 Price/CashFlow discount 2015 MOST RECENT RATINGS CHANGES Date Price Action 2/25/14 $60.99 No Change Price as of 2/25/2016 $75.08 VALUATION BUY. TJX COMPANIES INC's P/E ratio indicates a discount compared to an average of 27.13 for the Specialty Retail industry and a value on par with the S&P 500 average of 21.53. For additional comparison, its price-to-book ratio of 11.67 indicates a significant premium versus the S&P 500 average of 2.56 and a discount versus the industry average of 12.59. The current price-to-sales ratio is similar to the S&P 500 average, but it is above the industry average, indicating a premium. Upon assessment of these and other key valuation criteria, TJX COMPANIES INC proves to trade at a discount to investment alternatives within the industry. $80 $70 52-Week Range $63.53-$76.93 1 2 3 lower 4 5 higher TJX 6.41 Peers 5.35 • Higher. A sales growth rate that exceeds the industry implies that a company is gaining market share. • TJX has a sales growth rate that exceeds its peers. DISCLAIMER: The opinions and information contained herein have been obtained or derived from sources believed to be reliable, but TheStreet Ratings cannot guarantee its accuracy and completeness, and that of the opinions based thereon. Data is provided via the COMPUSTAT® Xpressfeed product from Standard &Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., as well as other third-party data providers. TheStreet Ratings is a division of TheStreet, Inc., which is a publisher. This research report contains opinions and is provided for informational purposes only. You should not rely solely upon the research herein for purposes of transacting securities or other investments, and you are encouraged to conduct your own research and due diligence, and to seek the advice of a qualified securities professional, before you make any investment. None of the information contained in this report constitutes, or is intended to constitute a recommendation by TheStreet Ratings of any particular security or trading strategy or a determination by TheStreet Ratings that any security or trading strategy is suitable for any specific person. To the extent any of the information contained herein may be deemed to be investment advice, such information is impersonal and not tailored to the investment needs of any specific person. Your use of this report is governed by TheStreet, Inc.'s Terms of Use found at http://www.thestreet.com/static/about/terms-of-use.html. This report is for information purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Neither TheStreet Ratings nor any other party guarantees its accuracy or makes warranties regarding results from its usage. Redistribution is prohibited without the express written consent of TheStreet Ratings. Copyright(c) 2006-2015. All rights reserved. Report Date: February 28, 2016 PAGE 5