Noteworthy Insider Transactions at Target Corporation (TGT), TJX Companies Inc. (TJX) and 3 Other Companies

This Strong-Performing Off-Price Retailer Saw Its CEO Discard Shares Last Week

TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE:TJX) had two executives sell shares this past week, one of whom conducted the sales under a pre-arranged trading plan. President and Chief Executive Officer Ernie L. Herrman discarded 24,000 shares on Friday and 20,000 shares on Thursday at prices varying from $75.50 to $75.76 per share. Following the recent sales, Mr. Herrman continues to own 469,437 shares.

The U.S. off-price apparel and home fashions retailer has seen its market value gain a massive 195% in the past five years and 13% in the past 52 weeks, which makes us believe Mr. Herrman and other long-term employees may seek to diversify their holdings. Soon after releasing a fabulous first-quarter earnings report, analysts at Deutsche Bank raised the price target on TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE:TJX) to $83 from $82 while reiterating their ‘Buy’ rating on the stock, saying that the retailer has been coping relatively well against fast-toughening competition from online shopping competitors. Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management trimmed its stake in TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE:TJX) by 28% during the January-to-March period to 1.47 million shares.

Jacobs Engineering Group’s Executive Chairman Sold Massive Block of Shares Last Week

Noel G. Watson, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC)’s former Chief Executive Officer who serves as Executive Chairman until a new CEO is appointed, sold 33,333 shares on Friday at a price of $49.27 per share. After the recent sale, Mr. Watson currently owns 803,336 shares.

The shares of the provider of technical professional and construction services are 16% in the green thus far in 2016. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC)’s total revenues for the six months that ended April 1 were $5.63 billion, down from $6.09 billion recorded for the same period of the prior year. In mid-April, the company acquired a cybersecurity firm called the Van Dyke Technology Group in an attempt to expand its IT solution offerings to public sector clients. The freshly-acquired firm specializes in identity and access management, threat mitigation and other cybersecurity solutions. The number of smart money investors from our system with stakes in Jacobs Engineering climbed to 17 from 16 during the first three months of 2016. William Harnisch’s Peconic Partners, LLC added a 214,720-share position in Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) to its portfolio during the first quarter.

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