Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,179,436 shares of the company's stock after selling 61,614 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.90% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $134,574,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 20,003 shares of the company's stock worth $1,787,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $675,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,044 shares of the company's stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 19,107 shares of the company's stock worth $1,707,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Loop Capital reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $120.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $116.12.

BJ's Wholesale Club Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of BJ traded down $0.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $108.25. 722,048 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,687,046. The firm has a market cap of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.17, a PEG ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.45. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.33 and a 12-month high of $121.10. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $112.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

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 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 company had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.85 EPS. BJ's Wholesale Club's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.74, for a total value of $251,454.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,705,097.60. The trade was a 12.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.98, for a total value of $2,004,442.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 386,233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $43,250,371.34. The trade was a 4.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 300,400 shares of company stock valued at $34,308,420. Company 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.