Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Stock Price

Key Points

• Citigroup has reduced its price target for BJ's Wholesale Club stock from $130.00 to $120.00, while still maintaining a "buy" rating, indicating a potential upside of 15.01% from the previous close.
• Multiple analysts have different target prices for BJ's, with a consensus price target of $115.33, and an overall consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" based on 11 buy ratings and 10 hold ratings.
• In recent trading, BJ's Wholesale Club shares were up 1.1% to $104.34, and the company reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.14, exceeding expectations.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) had its target price cut by Citigroup from $130.00 to $120.00 in a research note published on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on BJ. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Loop Capital reissued a "hold" rating and set a $120.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $116.82.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Down 8.6%

Shares of NYSE BJ traded down $9.0860 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $97.0740. 9,135,626 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,061,989. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The company has a market cap of $12.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.58, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $107.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.99. BJ's Wholesale Club has a 12 month low of $76.33 and a 12 month high of $121.10.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 22nd. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.04. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $5.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.09 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. BJ's Wholesale Club has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.35 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 58,436 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.08, for a total transaction of $6,432,634.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 114,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,563,100.16. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Steven L. Ortega acquired 1,740 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $114.60 per share, with a total value of $199,404.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $990,258.60. The trade was a 25.21% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 138,061 shares of company stock worth $15,027,745. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Wholesale Club

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 22.0% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 510 shares of the company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.9% during the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 5,174 shares of the company's stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.3% during the second quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 37,100 shares of the company's stock worth $4,000,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.3% during the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 31,715 shares of the company's stock worth $3,420,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.3% during the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,450 shares of the company's stock worth $280,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About BJ's Wholesale Club

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.