BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Shares Sold by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 736,709 shares of the company's stock after selling 80,546 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.56% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $65,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BJ. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $470,775,000 after acquiring an additional 504,958 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,331,379 shares of the company's stock valued at $387,009,000 after acquiring an additional 43,106 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,571,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,808,000 after purchasing an additional 73,322 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,486,903 shares of the company's stock worth $222,205,000 after buying an additional 99,311 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,330,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,218,000 after acquiring an additional 245,731 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BJ traded down $4.62 during trading on Thursday, reaching $114.77. The company had a trading volume of 1,935,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,646,080. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $113.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $101.33. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.17 and a fifty-two week high of $121.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.41, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 38.98 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 328,505 shares of company stock worth $37,452,686. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their target price 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 note on Tuesday, April 1st. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Argus raised BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $80.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, BJ's Wholesale Club currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.82.

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.