Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Boosts Stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,331,379 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 43,106 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned 3.28% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $387,009,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BJ. Norges Bank bought a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club in the 4th quarter valued at $135,344,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 658.6% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,523,218 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,100,000 after buying an additional 1,322,425 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club in the fourth quarter worth about $85,550,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 3,526.9% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 595,571 shares of the company's stock worth $53,214,000 after buying an additional 579,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $470,775,000 after purchasing an additional 504,958 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Wholesale Club

In other news, EVP William C. Werner sold 14,192 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.64, for a total value of $1,669,546.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 26,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,071,933.32. This trade represents a 35.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.74, for a total transaction of $251,454.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 14,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,097.60. The trade was a 12.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 328,505 shares of company stock valued at $37,452,686. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BJ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $106.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up previously from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $80.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BJ's Wholesale Club presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $116.12.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:BJ traded up $2.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $113.30. The stock had a trading volume of 875,788 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,665,483. The company has a market cap of $14.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.29, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $115.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $104.37. 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 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.