TC
TJX COMPANIES INC /DE/ (TJX)·Q4 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q4 FY25 delivered consolidated comps +5% driven by higher transactions, gross margin +100 bps YoY (vs adjusted), and diluted EPS $1.23; pretax margin 11.6% came in 70 bps above the high end of plan on lower shrink and expense leverage. Bold beat vs company plan on Q4 EPS and pretax margin.
- Net sales were $16.35B, roughly flat vs prior-year’s 14-week Q4; Canada (+10% comps) and International (+7%) outperformed; Home and accessories outpaced apparel in Q4.
- FY26 guide: comps +2–3%, pretax margin 11.3–11.4%, EPS $4.34–$4.43 (with ~3% EPS growth headwind from FX), and Q1 FY26 EPS $0.87–$0.89 on timing of expenses, hedge reversal, and lapping last year’s reserve release.
- Capital returns ramp: Board increased quarterly dividend by 13% to $0.425 (payable June 5, 2025) and plans $2.0–$2.5B buybacks in FY26; long-term store opportunity raised to ~7,000 globally.
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Broad-based strength: Q4 comps +5% from higher transactions across all divisions; Canada +10% and International +7% led, supported by late gift flows and strong post-Christmas sales. “Comp increases…driven by an increase in customer transactions” and strong execution in Canada/Europe.
- Margin upside: Pretax margin 11.6% was 70 bps above plan on lower shrink and mark-on; gross margin 30.5% up ~100 bps vs adjusted prior-year.
- Strategic momentum and returns: 5,000+ stores, elevated store growth potential to ~7,000, FY25 operating cash flow $6.1B, and $4.1B returned to shareholders; dividend up 13% and FY26 buybacks $2.0–$2.5B.
What Went Wrong
- Expense pressure: SG&A rose 30 bps YoY to 19.2% on incremental wage/payroll; Q1 FY26 SG&A guided up 80 bps YoY to 20.0%.
- Q1 FY26 reset: EPS guide $0.87–$0.89 (down 4–6% YoY), pretax margin 10.0–10.1% (down 100–110 bps) on hedge timing, lapping reserve release, and wage/payroll; interest deleveraging impacts pretax by ~20 bps.
- FX/tariff headwinds: FY26 outlook embeds ~1% sales and ~20 bps pretax margin headwind from FX and transactional FX; small H1 drag from current China tariffs on committed buys.
Financial Results
Segment breakdown – Q4 FY2025
Operating KPIs (quarterly)
Notes: Q4 FY2025 pretax and gross margins referenced against adjusted prior-year metrics that exclude the extra week benefit.
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “Our fourth quarter sales, profitability, and earnings per share were all well above our expectations… comp store sales growth of 5%… due to strong increases in comp sales and customer transactions at every division.” — Ernie Herrman
- “Gross margin was up 100 basis points versus last year's adjusted… primarily driven by… year-end true-up of shrink expense and strong mark-on.” — John Klinger
- “We are increasing our long-term store potential to a total of 7,000 stores… HomeGoods to 1,800; Sierra to 325; Spain to 100 stores.” — Ernie Herrman
- “Starting in fiscal ’26, our comp store sales will include e-commerce… we do not expect e-commerce to have a material impact.” — John Klinger
- “Our buyers assess retail and work backwards to cost… focus on the value gap… confident we can navigate the current China tariff environment.” — Ernie Herrman
Q&A Highlights
- Canada/International strength: Tactical late gift flow and healthy home categories drove outsized Q4 comps; management expects continued solid execution given seasoned teams.
- Customer mix and acquisition: Transaction growth continues, skewing toward ages 18–34; market share gains across income cohorts amid competitive closures.
- Merchandise margin and tariffs: Team focuses on mark-on via value-first buying; tariff impact expected small and manageable over medium/long-term.
- Flow-through and real estate: Long-term model of flat to up ~10 bps pretax margin leverage at 3–4% comps (ex outsized expenses); sufficient real estate availability including rural markets and large-box closures.
- Category performance: Home and accessories outperformed apparel; Europe sourcing in Home is a differentiator to drive brand/quality and margin.
Estimates Context
- Wall Street consensus via S&P Global (Primary EPS Consensus Mean and Revenue Consensus Mean for Q4 FY2025 and prior two quarters) was unavailable at the time of analysis due to SPGI daily request limit exceeded; therefore, formal “vs. consensus” beats/misses are not included here. Where relevant, we benchmarked against company guidance and plan. [GetEstimates attempt failed — Values retrieved from S&P Global unavailable]
- Relative to company guidance: Q4 EPS $1.23 vs $1.12–$1.14 guided (beat); Q4 pretax margin 11.6% vs 10.8–10.9% guided (beat); FY25 EPS $4.26 vs $4.15–$4.17 guided (beat).
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Strong quarter with broad-based transaction-driven comps and significant margin upside from shrink favorability and mark-on; the setup remains conducive to off-price value leadership.
- Near-term caution: Q1 FY26 guide calls for EPS down 4–6% YoY on hedge timing, wage/payroll, and lapping reserve release; traders should watch for normalization across the last nine months where EPS is guided +4–6%.
- FX headwinds embedded in FY26 (sales ~1% and EPS growth ~3% headwind) could modestly weigh on reported growth; underlying demand trends remain resilient.
- Category mix favors Home/accessories; continued strength here and Europe-sourced differentiation may sustain merchandise margin tailwinds.
- Canada and International momentum is a positive signal for global diversification, with Spain entry in 2026 and expanding footprint in Germany and other European markets.
- Capital returns are a powerful support: dividend raised 13% to $0.425 and $2.0–$2.5B buybacks planned, underpinned by $6.1B FY25 operating cash flow.
- Medium-term thesis: Scale, flexible buying, wide demographic appeal, and expanded store potential (~7,000) underpin sustained share gains; monitor shrink trajectory, wage inflation, tariffs, and FX as the key variables.