Nuveen LLC Purchases New Holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has acquired a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club, purchasing 556,406 shares valued at approximately $63.5 million, amounting to 0.42% of the company.
• Analysts have raised BJ's price targets, with ratings indicating a general consensus of a "Moderate Buy", with various firms setting targets ranging from $120.00 to $140.00.
• Insider transactions included significant purchases and sales, with a director increasing ownership by 25.21% and an EVP selling over $6.4 million in shares.

Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 556,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,486,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.42% of BJ's Wholesale Club as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BJ. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 16,454 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,470,000 after acquiring an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club in the 4th quarter worth approximately $385,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club in the 4th quarter worth approximately $384,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 104.2% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 295,314 shares of the company's stock worth $26,386,000 after buying an additional 150,662 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of 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. 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. Loop Capital restated a "hold" rating and set a $120.00 price target (up previously from $110.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $111.41.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Wholesale Club

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, Director Steven L. Ortega acquired 1,740 shares of BJ's Wholesale Club stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $114.60 per share, with a total value of $199,404.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $990,258.60. The trade was a 25.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 58,436 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.08, for a total transaction of $6,432,634.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,563,100.16. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 138,061 shares of company stock valued at $15,027,745. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Performance

NYSE BJ opened at $103.51 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $13.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.43. The company's fifty day moving average is $108.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.80. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.33 and a 52-week high of $121.10.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 2.76% 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 firm earned $0.85 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast 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.

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