BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Shares Sold by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. reduced its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 19.5%, selling 48,491 shares, and now holds 0.15% of the company's stock valued at approximately $22.88 million.
• Analysts raised their price targets for BJ's Wholesale Club, with Citigroup increasing its target from $40.00 to $43.00 and Morgan Stanley from $115.00 to $125.00, indicating a consensus price target of $111.00.
• Insider activities include Director Steven L. Ortega purchasing 1,740 shares at an average price of $114.60, while CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares at an average of $107.08.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 19.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 200,502 shares of the company's stock after selling 48,491 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 0.15% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $22,877,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,450 shares of the company's stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 3.5% during the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,087 shares of the company's stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.1% in the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 9,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,096,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on BJ shares. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Roth Capital restated a "neutral" rating and set a $106.00 price objective (up previously from $101.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised BJ's Wholesale Club from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, Director Steven L. Ortega acquired 1,740 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $114.60 per share, for a total transaction of $199,404.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 8,641 shares in the company, valued at $990,258.60. This trade represents a 25.21% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed 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 dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total value 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 trade represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 138,061 shares of company stock valued at $15,027,745 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE BJ opened at $106.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.78, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.43. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $76.33 and a one year high of $121.10. The company's 50 day moving average price is $108.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.44.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current 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.

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