TJX's Q1 EPS Down Slightly: Is FY26 Profit Target Still in Reach?

Core Insights - The TJX Companies, Inc. reported a slight year-over-year decline in first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings, with EPS at 92 cents, but this was above internal expectations. The company maintains its full-year EPS guidance of $4.34 to $4.43, indicating a projected growth of 2-4% over the previous year's EPS of $4.26 [1][7] Financial Performance - The decline in EPS was attributed to a 50-basis-point contraction in gross margin due to unfavorable inventory hedge adjustments, alongside a 20-basis-point increase in SG&A expenses driven by higher wage and payroll costs. Interest income also negatively impacted pre-tax margin by 20 basis points due to lower cash balances and interest rates [1][7] - Management believes that much of the margin pressure is front-loaded, with expectations that mitigation efforts such as expense controls and productivity initiatives will take effect in the second half of the fiscal year [2][3] Comparative Analysis - In contrast to TJX, Burlington Stores reported an 18% increase in adjusted EPS to $1.67 in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, despite flat comparable store sales, attributed to favorable timing of merchandise receipts and early cost-saving initiatives. Burlington maintained its full-year adjusted earnings guidance of $8.70 to $9.30 [4] - Dollar General also reported a 7.9% increase in EPS to $1.78 in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, focusing on inventory control and margin improvement. The company raised the lower end of its full-year EPS guidance to a range of $5.20 to $5.80 [5] Market Performance - TJX shares have decreased by 3.9% over the past month, slightly better than the industry average decline of 4.5% [6] - The forward price-to-earnings ratio for TJX is 26.52X, which is lower than the industry average of 32.3X, indicating a potentially favorable valuation [9] Future Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TJX's current fiscal-year sales and EPS implies year-over-year growth of 4.4% and 4.7%, respectively [10] - For the upcoming quarters, the consensus estimates suggest a year-over-year growth of 4.55% for the current quarter and 4.27% for the next quarter [12]