Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Decreases Stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. decreased its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,370 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club were worth $691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BJ. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 23,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,569,000 after purchasing an additional 2,147 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance grew its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 3,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,506,000. Simplicity Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $719,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the fourth quarter worth $320,000. 98.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other BJ’s Wholesale Club news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.70, for a total transaction of $843,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 500,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,410,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other BJ’s Wholesale Club news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $77,370.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $998,459.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.70, for a total transaction of $843,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 500,792 shares in the company, valued at $38,410,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 98,840 shares of company stock valued at $7,408,605. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Up 0.8 %

BJ opened at $76.37 on Friday. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $60.33 and a 52 week high of $80.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.56. The company has a market capitalization of $10.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.26.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.38 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 40.84% and a net margin of 2.64%. BJ’s Wholesale Club’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. Analysts forecast that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital reissued a “hold” rating and set a $80.00 price objective (down from $85.00) on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $81.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Gordon Haskett cut BJ’s Wholesale Club from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $79.00 to $78.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.40.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Profile

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates warehouse clubs on the eastern half of the United States. It provides groceries, general merchandise, gasoline and other ancillary services, coupon books, and promotions. The company sells its products through the websites BJs.com, BerkleyJensen.com, and Wellsleyfarms.com, as well as the mobile app.