Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 277,614 Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. $BJ

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings by 37.7% in the first quarter, selling 277,614 shares, leaving them with approximately 459,095 shares.
• Analysts have lowered their price targets for BJ's Wholesale Club, with Morgan Stanley setting a new target of $115.00 and DA Davidson at $123.00, while the stock retains a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Insider selling was notable, with EVP Paul Cichocki selling 58,436 shares and CEO Robert W. Eddy selling 17,900 shares, indicating a reduction in their holdings by 33.86% and 4.63% respectively.

Baird Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 37.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 459,095 shares of the company's stock after selling 277,614 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.35% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $52,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth approximately $41,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in the first quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 22.0% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 510 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BJ has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on 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. 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 research report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $135.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a "neutral" rating and set a $106.00 target price (up previously from $101.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $113.18.

BJ's Wholesale Club Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BJ traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.23. 2,902,317 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,939,856. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $105.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $109.59. The stock has a market cap of $12.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.07, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $76.33 and a one year high of $121.10.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $5.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.49 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 30.40% and a net margin of 2.77%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. BJ's Wholesale Club has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.35 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 58,436 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 114,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,563,100.16. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total value of $1,916,732.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 368,333 shares in the company, valued at $39,441,097.64. The trade was a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 120,161 shares of company stock worth $13,023,303. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club 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.