Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 19.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,057 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,910 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club were worth $2,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 20,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,787,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,915 shares of the company's stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $629,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC now owns 5,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 0.5%

BJ's Wholesale Club stock traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $114.19. 1,369,055 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,666,298. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.47. 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 quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $113.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.61.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted 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. BJ's Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 31.98% and a net margin of 2.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BJ. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target 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. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $106.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $116.12.

Insider Activity at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.74, for a total value of $251,454.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 14,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,705,097.60. This represents a 12.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP William C. Werner sold 14,192 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.64, for a total transaction of $1,669,546.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,113 shares in the company, valued at $3,071,933.32. This represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 314,592 shares of company stock valued at $35,977,967 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

About BJ's Wholesale Club

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.