BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Shares Sold by Norden Group LLC

Key Points

• Norden Group LLC reduced its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 38.5%, selling 5,222 shares during Q1 and now owning 8,355 shares valued at approximately $953,000.
• Notable insider sales included CEO Robert W. Eddy selling 17,900 shares for about $1.92 million and EVP Paul Cichocki selling 43,825 shares for around $4.67 million, indicating a decrease in their respective positions.
• Analyst ratings have been mixed, with Wall Street Zen upgrading BJ's rating to "buy" while several others adjusted target prices, reflecting differing market sentiments regarding the company's future performance.

Norden Group LLC decreased its position in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 38.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,355 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,222 shares during the quarter. Norden Group LLC's holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club were worth $953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 35.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 126,093 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,266,000 after purchasing an additional 33,026 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,571,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,808,000 after buying an additional 73,322 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in the 4th quarter worth about $135,344,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 18,530 shares of the company's stock worth $1,656,000 after buying an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew 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 purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports 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 note on Friday, May 23rd. Loop Capital reissued a "hold" rating and set a $120.00 price target (up previously from $110.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded BJ's Wholesale Club from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $111.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 43,825 shares of the 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total transaction of $1,916,732.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 368,333 shares in the company, valued at $39,441,097.64. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 79,625 shares of company stock worth $8,595,110 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Price Performance

BJ stock traded up $2.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $108.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,216,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,816,732. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $109.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.03. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $76.33 and a 1 year high of $121.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The company has a market capitalization of $14.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. BJ's Wholesale Club's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate 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.