Impax Asset Management Group plc Sells 15,000 Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Impax Asset Management Group plc lessened its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 11.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,955 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,000 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned about 0.09% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $13,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,775,000 after acquiring an additional 504,958 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased 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 buying an additional 43,106 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $477,709,000 after buying an additional 1,662,415 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,571,996 shares of the company's stock worth $229,808,000 after acquiring an additional 73,322 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,486,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,205,000 after acquiring an additional 99,311 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 1.1%

BJ's Wholesale Club stock traded down $1.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $106.45. 1,212,610 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,688,637. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $112.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.14. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.33 and a 52-week high of $121.10.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven L. Ortega acquired 1,740 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 purchase, the director owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $990,258.60. This represents a 25.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total transaction of $1,916,732.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 368,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 quarter, insiders have sold 37,900 shares of company stock worth $4,172,628. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BJ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of 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 research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Argus raised shares of BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $106.00 target price (up previously from $101.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $116.12.

BJ's Wholesale Club Company 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.