Sandler Capital Management Takes $2.28 Million Position in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. $BJ

Key Points

• Sandler Capital Management has acquired a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club, purchasing 20,000 shares valued at approximately $2.28 million.
• Analyst ratings for BJ's Wholesale Club have been mixed, with some firms lowering their target prices while others maintain a "buy" rating, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• BJ's Wholesale Club reported earnings per share of $1.14 for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate, although revenue fell short of expectations at $5.38 billion.

Sandler Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,282,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 510 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,450 shares of the company's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 3,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $415,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 3.5% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,087 shares of the company's stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.1% in the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 9,604 shares of the company's stock worth $1,096,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of BJ stock traded down $1.47 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.52. 1,724,394 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,806,239. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.08 and a 1 year high of $121.10. The company's 50 day moving average is $103.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $12.85 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.40.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 22nd. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $5.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.49 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 30.40% and a net margin of 2.77%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.09 EPS. BJ's Wholesale Club has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.200-4.35 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Paul Cichocki sold 58,436 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.08, for a total value of $6,432,634.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 114,127 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,563,100.16. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 17,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total value of $1,916,732.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 368,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at $39,441,097.64. The trade was a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 120,161 shares of company stock worth $13,023,303. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on BJ shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. 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. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $117.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $113.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 25th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BJ's Wholesale Club has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $113.18.

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.