BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $125.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective points to a potential upside of 9.45% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $129.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BJ's Wholesale Club currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.65.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:BJ traded down $1.76 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $114.21. 108,432 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,677,847. The firm has a market cap of $15.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $114.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.51. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.23. BJ's Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 35.41% and a net margin of 2.71%. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that BJ's Wholesale Club will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP William C. Werner sold 14,192 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.64, for a total transaction of $1,669,546.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,113 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,071,933.32. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.74, for a total value of $251,454.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 14,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,097.60. This trade represents a 12.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 328,505 shares of company stock valued at $37,452,686 in the last 90 days. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Wholesale Club

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BJ. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 118.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 144,652 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,931,000 after buying an additional 78,470 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in the fourth quarter worth $272,000. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the fourth quarter worth about $221,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 624 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.

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