BNP Paribas Financial Markets Grows Holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 33.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,583 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,173 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club were worth $5,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,775,000 after buying an additional 504,958 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,571,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,808,000 after acquiring an additional 73,322 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,486,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,205,000 after acquiring an additional 99,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 11.8% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BJ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus raised shares of BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 note on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $80.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.74, for a total transaction of $251,454.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.41, for a total transaction of $2,208,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 31,308 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,456,716.28. This represents a 38.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 328,505 shares of company stock worth $37,452,686. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:BJ traded up $1.89 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $118.27. The company had a trading volume of 2,479,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,676,670. 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 $15.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $114.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.10. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $76.33 and a twelve month high of $121.10.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.29 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. On average, equities analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

BJ's Wholesale Club 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.