BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Shares Up 2.6% – Time to Buy?

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)’s share price rose 2.6% on Monday . The company traded as high as $114.99 and last traded at $114.87. Approximately 503,207 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 1,592,979 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on BJ. UBS Group upped their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $108.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.94.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.76.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.07. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 35.41% and a net margin of 2.71%. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.29 billion. Equities research analysts predict that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Wholesale Club

In other news, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.41, for a total value of $2,208,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,308 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,716.28. This trade represents a 38.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total value of $1,270,960.67. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 24,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,619,924.09. This trade represents a 32.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BJ. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 78.7% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 652.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 68.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Company Profile

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.