BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Given New $43.00 Price Target at Citigroup

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $40.00 to $43.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Citigroup's price objective would suggest a potential downside of 58.98% from the stock's previous close.

BJ has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up from $129.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Argus upgraded BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.00.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE:BJ traded up $1.29 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $104.84. The company had a trading volume of 331,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,820,418. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a 50-day moving average of $110.29 and a 200 day moving average of $108.65. The company has a market cap of $13.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.45. BJ's Wholesale Club has a 1 year low of $76.33 and a 1 year high of $121.10.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.23. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. BJ's Wholesale Club's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, Director Steven L. Ortega bought 1,740 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $114.60 per share, for a total transaction of $199,404.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 43,825 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $4,673,936.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 172,563 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,403,843.95. The trade was a 20.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 79,625 shares of company stock worth $8,595,110. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Wholesale Club

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BJ. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company's stock worth $470,775,000 after acquiring an additional 504,958 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,366,509 shares of the company's stock worth $498,219,000 after acquiring an additional 35,130 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 65.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,186,760 shares of the company's stock worth $477,709,000 after acquiring an additional 1,662,415 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 29.8% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,228,685 shares of the company's stock worth $368,393,000 after acquiring an additional 741,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 199.7% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,986,494 shares of the company's stock worth $340,759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,989,980 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is currently 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.