The TJX Companies, Inc. (TJX) 10-Q2024 Q3 Quarterly report

The Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. These Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto are unaudited and, in the opinion of management, reflect all normal recurring adjustments, accruals and deferrals among periods required to match costs properly with the related revenue or activity, considered necessary by The TJX Companies, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “TJX”) for a fair statement of its Consolidated Financial Statements for the periods reported, all in conformity with GAAP consistently applied. The Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements, including the related notes, contained in TJX’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 28, 2023 (“fiscal 2023”).

These interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for the full fiscal year. TJX’s business, in common with the businesses of retailers generally, is subject to seasonal influences, with higher levels of sales and income generally realized in the second half of the year.

The January 28, 2023 balance sheet data was derived from audited Consolidated Financial Statements and does not include all disclosures required by GAAP.

TJX’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest to the last day of January of each year. The current fiscal year ends February 3, 2024 (“fiscal 2024”) and is a 53-week fiscal year. Fiscal 2023 was a 52-week fiscal year. Fiscal 2025 will be a 52-week fiscal year and will end February 1, 2025.

The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. TJX considers its accounting policies relating to inventory valuation, reserves for uncertain tax positions and loss contingencies to be the most significant accounting policies that involve management estimates and judgments. Actual amounts could differ from these estimates, and such differences could be material.

In fiscal 2020, the Company acquired a minority ownership stake in privately held Familia, an off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions domiciled in Luxembourg that operates stores throughout Russia. During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company announced that it had committed to divesting its minority investment, resulting in an impairment charge of $218 million representing the entire carrying value of the Company’s investment. Additionally, the Company realized a $54 million tax benefit when the Company completed the divestiture of this investment during the third quarter of fiscal 2023. See Note F—Fair Value Measurements for additional information.

From time to time, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies issue new accounting pronouncements. Updates to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification are communicated through issuance of an Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”). The Company has reviewed the new guidance and has determined that it will either not apply to TJX or is not expected to be material to its Consolidated Financial Statements upon adoption, and, therefore, the guidance is not disclosed.

TJX repurchased and retired 7.2 million shares of its common stock at a cost of approximately $653 million, including applicable excise tax, during the quarter ended October 28, 2023, on a “trade date” basis. During the nine months ended October 28, 2023, TJX repurchased and retired 20.4 million shares of its common stock at a cost of approximately $1.7 billion, on a “trade date” basis. TJX reflects stock repurchases in its consolidated financial statements on a “settlement date” or cash basis. TJX had cash expenditures under repurchase programs of $1.7 billion for the nine months ended October 28, 2023 and $1.8 billion for the nine months ended October 29, 2022. These expenditures were funded by cash on hand and cash generated from current and prior period operations.

In February 2023, the Company announced that its Board of Directors had approved a new stock repurchase program that authorizes the repurchase of up to an additional $2 billion of TJX common stock from time to time. Under this program, TJX had approximately $1.8 billion available for repurchase as of October 28, 2023.

All shares repurchased under the stock repurchase programs have been retired.

As a result of its operating and financing activities, TJX is exposed to market risks from changes in interest and foreign currency exchange rates and fuel costs. These market risks may adversely affect TJX’s operating results and financial position. TJX seeks to minimize risk from changes in interest and foreign currency exchange rates and fuel costs through the use of derivative financial instruments when and to the extent deemed appropriate. TJX does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes and does not use any leveraged derivative financial instruments. TJX recognizes all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet and measures those instruments at fair value. The fair values of the derivatives are classified as assets or liabilities, current or non-current, based upon valuation results and settlement dates of the individual contracts. Changes to the fair value of derivative contracts that do not qualify for hedge accounting are reported in earnings in the period of the change. For derivatives that qualify for hedge accounting, changes in the fair value of the derivatives are either recorded in shareholders’ equity as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income or are recognized currently in earnings, along with an offsetting adjustment against the basis of the item being hedged.

TJX hedges portions of its estimated notional diesel fuel requirements based on the diesel fuel expected to be consumed by independent freight carriers transporting TJX’s inventory. Independent freight carriers transporting TJX’s inventory charge TJX a mileage surcharge based on the price of diesel fuel. The hedge agreements are designed to mitigate the volatility of diesel fuel pricing, and the resulting per mile surcharges payable by TJX, by setting a fixed price per gallon for the period being hedged. During fiscal 2023, TJX entered into agreements to hedge a portion of its estimated notional diesel fuel requirements for fiscal 2024, and during the first nine months of fiscal 2024, TJX entered into agreements to hedge a portion of its estimated notional diesel fuel requirements for the first nine months of fiscal 2025. The hedge agreements outstanding at October 28, 2023 relate to approximately 50% of TJX’s estimated notional diesel fuel requirements for the remainder of fiscal 2024 and the first nine months of fiscal 2025. These diesel fuel hedge agreements will settle throughout fiscal 2024 and throughout the first ten months of fiscal 2025. TJX elected not to apply hedge accounting to these contracts.

TJX enters into forward foreign currency exchange contracts to obtain economic hedges on portions of merchandise purchases made and anticipated to be made by the Company’s operations in currencies other than their respective functional currencies. The contracts outstanding at October 28, 2023 cover merchandise purchases the Company is committed to over the next several months in fiscal 2024. Additionally, TJX’s operations in Europe are subject to foreign currency exposure as a result of their buying function being centralized in the U.K. Merchandise is purchased centrally in the U.K. and then shipped and billed to the retail entities in other countries. This intercompany billing to TJX’s European businesses’ Euro denominated operations creates exposure to the central buying entity for changes in the exchange rate between the Euro and British Pound. A portion of the inflows of Euros to the central buying entity provides a natural hedge for Euro denominated merchandise purchases from third-party vendors. TJX calculates any excess Euro exposure each month and enters into forward contracts of approximately 30 days' duration to mitigate this excess exposure.

TJX also enters into derivative contracts, generally designated as fair value hedges, to hedge intercompany debt. The changes in fair value of these contracts are recorded in Selling, general and administrative expenses and are offset by marking the underlying item to fair value in the same period. Upon settlement, the realized gains and losses on these contracts are offset by the realized gains and losses of the underlying item in Selling, general and administrative expenses.

Foreign currency exchange contracts and diesel fuel contracts are valued using broker quotations, which include observable market information. TJX does not make adjustments to quotes or prices obtained from brokers or pricing services but does assess the credit risk of counterparties and will adjust final valuations when appropriate. Where independent pricing services provide fair values, TJX obtains an understanding of the methods used in pricing. As such, these instruments are classified within Level 2.

The fair value of TJX’s general corporate debt was estimated by obtaining market quotes given the trading levels of other bonds of the same general issuer type and market perceived credit quality. These inputs are considered to be Level 2 inputs. The fair value of long-term debt as of October 28, 2023 was $2.5 billion compared to a carrying value of $2.9 billion primarily due to the recent increase in interest rates. The fair value of long-term debt as of January 28, 2023 was $2.6 billion compared to a carrying value of $2.9 billion. The fair value of the current portion of long-term debt as of January 28, 2023 was $497 million compared to a carrying value of $500 million. The fair value of long-term debt as of October 29, 2022 was $2.5 billion compared to a carrying value of $2.9 billion. The fair value of the current portion of long-term debt as of October 29, 2022 was $493 million compared to a carrying value of $500 million. These estimates do not necessarily reflect provisions or restrictions in the various debt agreements that might affect TJX’s ability to settle these obligations. For additional information on long-term debt, see Note I—Long-Term Debt and Credit Lines.

TJX’s cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates fair value due to the short maturities of these instruments.

Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, whereas the majority of assets and liabilities are not measured at fair value on an ongoing basis, but are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances, such as when there is evidence of an impairment. For the periods ended October 28, 2023, January 28, 2023 and October 29, 2022, the Company did not record any material impairments to long-lived assets.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company announced its intention to divest from its position in its minority investment in Familia and re-characterized this investment as held-for-sale valued as a Level 3 position. Given the lack of an active market or observable inputs, the Company derived an exit price which indicated that this investment had no market value. As a result, the Company recorded a $218 million charge in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, which represented the entirety of its investment. See Note A—Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for additional information.

All of TJX’s stores, with the exception of HomeGoods and HomeSense/Homesense, sell family apparel and home fashions. HomeGoods and HomeSense/Homesense offer home fashions.

TJX evaluates the performance of its segments based on “segment profit or loss,” which it defines as pre-tax income or loss before general corporate expense, interest (income) expense, net and certain separately disclosed unusual or infrequent items. “Segment profit or loss,” as defined by TJX, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other entities. This measure of performance should not be considered an alternative to net income or cash flows from operating activities as an indicator of TJX’s performance or as a measure of liquidity.

TJX’s policy with respect to the funded plan is to fund, at a minimum, the amount required to maintain a funded status of 80% of the applicable pension liability (the Funding Target pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code section 430) or such other amount as is sufficient to avoid restrictions with respect to the funding of nonqualified plans under the Internal Revenue Code. The Company does not anticipate any required funding in fiscal 2024 for the funded plan. The Company anticipates making contributions of $4 million to provide current benefits coming due under the unfunded plan in fiscal 2024.

The amounts included in Amortization of net actuarial loss and prior service cost in the table above have been reclassified in their entirety from Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income to the Consolidated Statements of Income, net of related tax effects, for the periods presented.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company announced that it would offer eligible former TJX Associates who have not yet commenced their qualified pension plan benefit an opportunity to receive a voluntary lump sum payout of their vested pension plan benefit. At the end of the offer period, the payout amount, based on participation rate, did not meet the threshold to record a non-cash settlement charge.

In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”), was signed into law. Among other things, the IRA imposes a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax (the “Corporate AMT”) for tax years beginning after December 31, 2022 and levies a 1% excise tax on net stock repurchases after December 31, 2022. The excise tax on the net stock repurchase, Corporate AMT, or other provisions of the IRA did not have a material impact on our results of operations or financial position for the first nine months of fiscal 2024.

TJX had net unrecognized tax benefits of $266 million as of October 28, 2023, $265 million as of January 28, 2023 and $262 million as of October 29, 2022.

TJX is subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income tax in multiple state, local and foreign jurisdictions. In the U.S. and India, fiscal years through 2010 are no longer subject to examination. In all other jurisdictions, fiscal years through 2011 are no longer subject to examination.

TJX’s accounting policy is to classify interest and penalties related to income tax matters as part of income tax expense. The accrued amounts for interest and penalties on the Consolidated Balance Sheets was $42 million as of October 28, 2023, $37 million as of January 28, 2023 and $37 million as of October 29, 2022.

Based on the final resolution of tax examinations, judicial or administrative proceedings, changes in facts or law, expirations of statutes of limitations in specific jurisdictions or other resolutions of, or changes in, tax positions, it is reasonably possible that unrecognized tax benefits for certain tax positions taken on previously filed tax returns may change materially from those represented on the consolidated financial statements as of October 28, 2023. During the next 12 months, it is reasonably possible that tax audit resolutions may reduce unrecognized tax benefits by up to $52 million, which would reduce the provision for taxes on earnings.

In the third quarter of fiscal 2024, we closed our HomeGoods e-commerce business.

Net sales for the quarter ended October 28, 2023 totaled $13.3 billion, a 9% increase versus third quarter fiscal 2023 net sales of $12.2 billion. The increase reflects a 6% increase in comp store sales, a 2% increase from non-comp store sales and a 1% positive impact from foreign currency exchange rates. Net sales from our e-commerce sites combined amounted to less than 2% of total sales for each of the third quarters of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023.

Net sales for the nine months ended October 28, 2023 totaled $37.8 billion, a 7% increase versus net sales of $35.4 billion for the first nine months of fiscal 2023. The increase reflects a 5% increase in comp store sales, a 1% increase from non-comp store sales and a 1% positive impact from foreign currency exchange rates. Net sales from our e-commerce sites combined amounted to less than 2% of total sales for each of the first nine months of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023.

We define comparable store sales, or comp store sales, to be sales of stores that have been in operation for all or a portion of two consecutive fiscal years, or, in other words, stores that are starting their third fiscal year of operation. We calculate comp store sales on a 52-week basis by comparing the current and prior year weekly periods that are most closely aligned. Relocated stores and stores that have changed in size are generally classified in the same way as the original store, and we believe that the impact of these stores on the consolidated comp percentage is immaterial.

Sales excluded from comp store sales (“non-comp store sales”) consist of sales from:

We determine which stores are included in the comp store sales calculation at the beginning of a fiscal year and the classification remains constant throughout that year unless a store is closed permanently or for an extended period during that fiscal year.

Comp store sales of our foreign segments are calculated by translating the current year’s comp store sales using the prior year’s exchange rates. This removes the effect of changes in currency exchange rates, which we believe is a more accurate measure of segment operating performance.

Comp store sales may be referred to as “same store” sales by other retail companies. The method for calculating comp store sales varies across the retail industry; therefore, our measure of comp store sales may not be comparable to that of other retail companies. Comparable store sales for a category such as home fashions or apparel include sales from merchandise within such category combined across all divisions at the stores that fall within the Company’s definition of comparable stores for such period.

Our operating results are affected by foreign currency exchange rates as a result of changes in the value of the U.S. dollar or a division’s local currency in relation to other currencies. We specifically refer to “foreign currency” as the impact of translational foreign currency exchange and mark-to-market of inventory derivatives, as described in detail below. This does not include the impact foreign currency exchange rates can have on various transactions that are denominated in a currency other than an operating division's local currency, which is referred to as “transactional foreign exchange,” and also described below.

In our consolidated financial statements, we translate the operations of TJX Canada and TJX International from local currencies into U.S. dollars using currency rates in effect at different points in time. Significant changes in foreign exchange rates between comparable prior periods can result in meaningful variations in assets, liabilities, net sales, net income and earnings per share growth as well as the net sales and operating results of these segments. Currency translation generally does not affect operating margins, or affects them only slightly, as sales and expenses of the foreign operations are translated at approximately the same rates within a given period.

We routinely enter into inventory-related hedging instruments to mitigate the impact on earnings of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on merchandise purchases denominated in currencies other than the local currencies of our divisions, principally TJX Canada and TJX International. As we have not elected “hedge accounting” for these instruments, as defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), we record a mark-to-market gain or loss on the derivative instruments in our results of operations at the end of each reporting period. In subsequent periods, the income statement impact of the mark-to-market adjustment is effectively offset when the inventory being hedged is received and paid for. While these effects occur every reporting period, they are of much greater magnitude when there are sudden and significant changes in currency exchange rates during a short period of time. The mark-to-market adjustment on these derivatives does not affect net sales, but it does affect the cost of sales, operating margins and earnings we report.

When discussing the impact on our results of the effect of foreign currency exchange rates on certain transactions, we refer to it as “transactional foreign exchange”. This primarily includes the impact that foreign currency exchange rates may have on the year-over-year comparison of merchandise margin as well as “foreign currency gains and losses” on transactions that are denominated in a currency other than the operating division's local currency. These two items can impact segment margin comparison of our foreign divisions, and we have highlighted them when they are meaningful to understanding operating trends.

Cost of sales, including buying and occupancy costs, as a percentage of net sales was 68.9% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024, a decrease of 2 percentage points compared to 70.9% for the third quarter of fiscal 2023. The decrease in the cost of sales ratio, including buying and occupancy costs, for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 was attributable to higher merchandise margin due to lower freight costs, the favorable impact on the mark-to-market adjustments on fuel and inventory hedges and expense leverage on higher comp store sales.

Cost of sales, including buying and occupancy costs, as a percentage of net sales was 69.9% for the first nine months of fiscal 2024, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points compared to 71.8% for the first nine months of fiscal 2023. The decrease in the cost of sales ratio, including buying and occupancy costs, for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was primarily attributable to higher merchandise margin due to lower freight costs, partially offset by higher shrink accrual rates in the current year.

SG&A expenses, as a percentage of net sales, was 19.4% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024, an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared to 18.0% for the third quarter of fiscal 2023. The increase in the SG&A ratio for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 was attributable to incremental store wage and payroll costs, higher incentive compensation costs, and costs related to the closing of our HomeGoods e-commerce business.

SG&A expenses, as a percentage of net sales, was 19.5% for the first nine months of fiscal 2024, an increase of 1.3 percentage points compared to 18.2% for the first nine months of fiscal 2023. The increase in the SG&A ratio for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was attributable to higher incentive compensation costs and incremental store wage and payroll costs. In addition, this increase reflects a reserve related to a German government COVID program receivable, costs related to the closing of our HomeGoods e-commerce business and a contribution to our U.S. charitable foundation.

During fiscal 2023, we announced and completed the divestiture of our minority investment in Familia. As a result, we recorded an impairment charge of $218 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2023 representing the entire carrying value of the investment. Additionally, we realized a $54 million tax benefit when we completed the divestiture of this investment during the third quarter of fiscal 2023.

Net income was $1.2 billion, or $1.03 per diluted share, and $1.1 billion, or $0.91 per diluted share, for the third quarters of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, respectively. The third quarter of fiscal 2023 included a $54 million tax benefit on the divestiture of our minority investment in Familia, which had a $0.05 positive impact on diluted earnings per share. Foreign currency had a $0.02 positive impact on diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 and a $0.01 negative impact on diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2023.

Net income was $3.1 billion, or $2.65 per diluted share, and $2.5 billion, or $2.08 per diluted share, for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, respectively. During the first nine months of fiscal 2023, the $218 million impairment on our previously-held minority investment in Familia, net of the $54 million tax benefit, had a $0.14 negative impact on diluted earnings per share. Foreign currency had a $0.01 positive impact on diluted earnings per share for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 and a $0.02 negative impact on diluted earnings per share for the first nine months of fiscal 2023.

We evaluate the performance of our segments based on “segment profit or loss,” which we define as pre-tax income or loss before general corporate expense and interest (income) expense, net, and certain separately disclosed unusual or infrequent items. “Segment profit or loss,” as we define the term, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. The terms “segment margin” or “segment profit margin” are used to describe segment profit or loss as a percentage of net sales. These measures of performance should not be considered an alternative to net income or cash flows from operating activities as an indicator of our performance or as a measure of liquidity.

Net sales for Marmaxx were $8.1 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2024, an increase of 9% compared to $7.5 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2023. This increase in the third quarter reflects a 7% increase from comp store sales and a 2% increase from non-comp store sales.

Net sales for Marmaxx were $23.4 billion for the first nine months of fiscal 2024, an increase of 8% compared to $21.6 billion for the first nine months of fiscal 2023. This increase in the first nine months reflects a 7% increase from comp store sales and a 1% increase from non-comp store sales.

For both the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2024, the increase in comp store sales was driven by an increase in customer traffic. In addition, Marmaxx had strong apparel and home fashions comp store sales growth. All geographies generally performed in line with the overall comp store sales increase for both periods.

Segment profit margin increased to 14.0% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to 13.5% for the same period last year. The increase in segment profit margin for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 was primarily driven by higher merchandise margin, due to lower freight costs, and expense leverage on higher comp store sales, partially offset by incremental store wage and payroll costs and higher incentive compensation costs.

Segment profit margin increased to 13.9% for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to 13.2% for the same period last year. The increase in segment profit margin for first nine months of fiscal 2024 was primarily driven by improved merchandise margin, partially offset by incremental store wage and payroll costs and higher incentive compensation costs. Merchandise margin was driven by lower freight costs and higher markon, partially offset by higher shrink accrual rates in the current year.

Our Marmaxx e-commerce sites, tjmaxx.com and marshalls.com, together with sierra.com, represented less than 3% of Marmaxx’s net sales for both the third quarter and the first nine months of fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2023, and did not have a significant impact on year-over-year segment margin comparisons.