Many retailers are struggling and worrying about how tariffs may cripple their financials in both the short term and over the long haul. Some companies, however, will be in better shape than others to handle the challenges which lay ahead.
Off-price retailer TJX Companies (NYSE:TJX) could stand to benefit from other retailers not selling merchandise due to challenging economic conditions. And the company doesn’t appear concerned about the future, recently announcing a generous 13% increase to its dividend. On March 31, the company boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.425. For TJX, this is the 28th time it has increased its dividend in the past 29 years, making it a fairly reliable dividend growth stock to own.
With the new dividend, investors who buy the stock now will be collecting $1.70 per share over the course of an entire year, putting its yield at around 1.4%, which is in line with the S&P 500 average.
TJX could be one of the safer retail stocks to own this year as unlike other retailers, it isn’t relying on imports from China which could be subject to high tariff rates. And investors have been recognizing that safety as shares of TJX are up a little over 1% since the start of the year.
The stock is trading at a bit of a premium – around 29 times its trailing earnings – but it may still be a good buy and a safe place to put your money into today. With solid financials and an excellent dividend, it’s one of the better stocks in the industry to buy and hold.