Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Invests $6.92 Million in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd has purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club, acquiring 61,870 shares valued at approximately $6.9 million.
• Insider transactions show that CEO Robert W. Eddy and EVP Paul Cichocki recently sold a combined total of 61,725 shares of the company, indicating a reduction in their holdings.
• Research analysts have overwhelmingly given BJ's Wholesale Club a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with price targets ranging from $106 to $140 reflecting expected growth.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 61,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,924,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 652.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on BJ. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 43,825 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $4,673,936.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 172,563 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,403,843.95. This represents a 20.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the company'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 approximately $39,441,097.64. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 79,625 shares of company stock worth $8,595,110. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of BJ stock traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $104.66. 436,008 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,814,054. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.33 and a 1 year high of $121.10. The company's 50 day moving average is $109.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.45.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.18 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

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.