GW&K Investment Management LLC Acquires 105,106 Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. $BJ

Key Points

• GW&K Investment Management increased its stake in BJ's by 14.6%, buying 105,106 shares to hold 822,563 shares valued at about $76.7 million, or roughly 0.62% of the company.
• Several other large institutions also added to their positions (notably Massachusetts Financial Services bought 1,152,591 shares to own 4.79M), and institutional/hedge fund ownership stands at about 98.6%.
• BJ's shares trade near $99.96 with a market cap of ~$13.1B and a P/E of ~23; analysts show mixed views but a consensus "Hold" rating and a $108.19 average target amid recent upgrades and downgrades.

GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 822,563 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 105,106 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned 0.62% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $76,704,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 31.7% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,791,602 shares of the company's stock worth $446,817,000 after buying an additional 1,152,591 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 22.4% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 100,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,326,000 after acquiring an additional 18,288 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 924,785 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,236,000 after acquiring an additional 62,903 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 670,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,482,000 after purchasing an additional 25,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 48.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 583,416 shares of the company's stock worth $54,404,000 after purchasing an additional 191,200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Price Performance

NYSE BJ opened at $99.96 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average is $95.61 and its 200 day moving average is $94.49. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $86.68 and a fifty-two week high of $121.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on BJ. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Monday, November 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $139.00 to $123.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Barclays cut shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $115.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, BJ's Wholesale Club presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $108.19.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Wholesale Club

In other news, EVP William C. Werner sold 7,000 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.09, for a total transaction of $637,630.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 50,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,599,862.82. The trade was a 12.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

BJ's Wholesale Club Company Profile

BJ's Wholesale Club, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, is a membership-based warehouse retailer offering a wide range of products and services primarily to small businesses and individual consumers. The company operates large-format clubs that provide value-priced groceries, health and beauty products, electronics, home goods, furniture, seasonal items and automotive supplies. In addition to its in-club offerings, BJ's features fuel stations at many locations and operates an e-commerce platform for online ordering and home delivery.

Founded in 1984 as a division of Zayre Corp., BJ's Wholesale Club quickly expanded throughout the Northeastern United States.

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