Royal Bank of Canada Sells 8,284 Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. $BJ

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada has reduced its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.6%, now owning 309,079 shares valued at approximately $35.27 million.
• BJ's Wholesale Club reported $1.14 earnings per share for the recent quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, while quarterly revenue increased by 3.2% year-over-year.
• Insider selling has occurred recently, with EVP Paul Cichocki and CEO Robert W. Eddy selling significant amounts of stock, indicating a potential shift in investor sentiment.

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its position in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 309,079 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,284 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned 0.23% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $35,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.8% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,366,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $498,219,000 after buying an additional 35,130 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 65.9% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,186,760 shares of the company's stock valued at $477,709,000 after buying an additional 1,662,415 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 29.8% during the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,228,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,393,000 after buying an additional 741,782 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake 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 valued at $340,759,000 after buying an additional 1,989,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,401,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,837,000 after buying an additional 8,268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:BJ traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $98.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,073,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,625,220. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.55 and a 52 week high of $121.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The company has a market capitalization of $12.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.40. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $103.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.18.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 2.77% and a return on equity of 30.40%. The business had revenue of $5.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.49 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. BJ's Wholesale Club has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.35 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Loop Capital reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $120.00 target price (up previously from $110.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $113.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 25th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $113.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total transaction of $1,916,732.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 368,333 shares in the company, valued at $39,441,097.64. The trade was a 4.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 58,436 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.08, for a total transaction of $6,432,634.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 114,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,563,100.16. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 120,161 shares of company stock valued at $13,023,303. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.