BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Saturday.

BJ has been the topic of a number of other research reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Argus upgraded BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, BJ's Wholesale Club presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $116.75.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock traded down $2.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $112.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 533,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,667,698. 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 company has a market capitalization of $14.86 billion, a PE ratio of 27.13, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $115.00 and a 200 day moving average of $104.17. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. BJ's Wholesale Club's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BJ's Wholesale Club will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total value 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. The trade was a 32.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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. Insiders have sold 328,505 shares of company stock worth $37,452,686 in the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BJ's Wholesale Club

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BJ. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 23,894.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 30,473 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,477,000 after buying an additional 30,346 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,153,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,153,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 55,299 shares of the company's stock worth $6,310,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 526,137 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,032,000 after purchasing an additional 20,975 shares during the period. 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.