BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $116.75.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on BJ. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $129.00) on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Argus raised shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.74, for a total value of $251,454.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 14,240 shares in the company, valued at $1,705,097.60. This trade represents a 12.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total value of $1,270,960.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,619,924.09. This trade represents a 32.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 328,505 shares of company stock worth $37,452,686. 2.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Wholesale Club

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,775,000 after buying an additional 504,958 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 0.8% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,366,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $498,219,000 after purchasing an additional 35,130 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 65.9% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,186,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $477,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662,415 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,228,685 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,393,000 after purchasing an additional 741,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 199.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,986,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989,980 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

Shares of BJ stock opened at $116.62 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market cap of $15.35 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. BJ’s Wholesale Club has a 12 month low of $76.33 and a 12 month high of $121.10.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.23. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that BJ’s Wholesale Club will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About BJ’s Wholesale Club

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc engages in the operation of membership warehouse clubs. Its product categories include grocery, household and pet, television and electronics, furniture, computer and tablets, patio and outdoor living, lawn and garden, baby and kids, toys, home, health and beauty, appliances, and jewelry.