Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 301,031 Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 264.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 414,974 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 301,031 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned 0.32% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $47,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company's stock worth $470,775,000 after acquiring an additional 504,958 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,331,379 shares of the company's stock worth $387,009,000 after purchasing an additional 43,106 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 65.9% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,186,760 shares of the company's stock worth $477,709,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662,415 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,571,996 shares of the company's stock worth $229,808,000 after purchasing an additional 73,322 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,486,903 shares of the company's stock worth $222,205,000 after acquiring an additional 99,311 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on BJ shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Citigroup raised BJ's Wholesale Club from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $130.00 in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Argus raised shares of BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $116.12.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 0.8%

BJ stock traded down $0.89 during trading on Friday, hitting $108.25. The company had a trading volume of 722,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,687,046. The stock has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.17, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.45. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.33 and a 12 month high of $121.10. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $112.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.29.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 2.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, Director Steven L. Ortega bought 1,740 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $114.60 per share, for a total transaction of $199,404.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $990,258.60. The trade was a 25.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.98, for a total transaction of $2,004,442.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 386,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,250,371.34. The trade was a 4.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 300,400 shares of company stock valued at $34,308,420. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.