GW&K Investment Management LLC Decreases Stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

GW&K Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 10.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 888,778 shares of the company's stock after selling 101,996 shares during the period. BJ's Wholesale Club makes up about 0.9% of GW&K Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned about 0.68% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $101,410,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 66.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth about $33,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 652.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Wholesale Club

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, Director Steven L. Ortega bought 1,740 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $114.60 per share, for a total transaction of $199,404.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $990,258.60. This trade represents a 25.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 368,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $39,441,097.64. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 79,625 shares of company stock valued at $8,595,110 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upgraded BJ's Wholesale Club from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up previously from $129.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $116.12.

BJ's Wholesale Club Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BJ traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $104.86. 1,331,290 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,687,864. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $110.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.77.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last announced 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. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.