2,406 Shares in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Acquired by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. invested $275,000 in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. by acquiring 2,406 shares in the first quarter.
• Insider selling activity includes CEO Robert W. Eddy and EVP Paul Cichocki, who sold a combined total of over $8.3 million worth of BJ's shares.
• Analysts have notably increased their price targets for BJ's, with DA Davidson raising their target from $130.00 to $140.00 and the stock currently holding a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 66.5% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth about $33,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter valued at about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on BJ shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price target (up previously from $129.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. DA Davidson boosted their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.00.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, 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 in the company, valued at $39,441,097.64. The trade was a 4.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 cost of $114.60 per share, for a total transaction of $199,404.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at $990,258.60. This trade represents a 25.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 138,061 shares of company stock worth $15,027,745. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Down 0.5%

BJ traded down $0.54 during trading on Monday, hitting $107.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,981,210 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,823,446. The company has a market cap of $14.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.43. 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 1-year low of $76.33 and a 1-year high of $121.10. The business has a 50-day moving average of $108.32 and a 200-day moving average of $109.79.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

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.