BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $118.67 and last traded at $116.41, with a volume of 317823 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $114.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BJ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised BJ’s Wholesale Club from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $87.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.82.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Trading Up 1.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average is $106.08 and its 200-day moving average is $95.54.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Wholesale Club

In other news, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,456,716.28. This represents a 38.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total transaction of $1,270,960.67. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,619,924.09. This represents a 32.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Wholesale Club

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 66.5% during the 4th 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 boosted its stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the third quarter worth $55,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.60% of the company’s stock.

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.