LPL Financial LLC Grows Stock Position in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 29.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,719 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 37,626 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.12% of BJ’s Wholesale Club worth $18,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 8,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $795,000 after acquiring an additional 1,973 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,821,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 770.2% in the 4th quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 16,454 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 1,826 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 442,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,498,000 after buying an additional 156,900 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Steven L. Ortega bought 1,740 shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $114.60 per share, with a total value of $199,404.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,641 shares in the company, valued at approximately $990,258.60. This trade represents a 25.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 58,436 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.08, for a total transaction of $6,432,634.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,563,100.16. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 138,061 shares of company stock worth $15,027,745 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BJ shares. Loop Capital reissued a “hold” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up previously from $110.00) on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. DA Davidson increased their price target on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $127.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up previously from $129.00) on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Wholesale Club currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $111.00.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:BJ opened at $106.53 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $108.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.43. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.33 and a 12 month high of $121.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.14.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 2.76%. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. Research analysts predict that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share 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.