Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Position in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. $BJ

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans sharply reduced its BJ's stake in the fourth quarter, cutting holdings by 95% and selling 786,439 shares. After the sale, it owned 41,614 shares worth about $3.75 million.
• BJ's Wholesale Club beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.10 versus $1.04 expected and revenue of $5.66 billion versus $5.44 billion expected. Revenue rose 9.9% year over year, and the company kept FY2026 EPS guidance at $4.40 to $4.60.
• Institutional ownership remains very high and analysts are mixed, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 98.6% of the stock. The consensus analyst rating is “Hold,” with an average price target of $106.75.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 95.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,614 shares of the company's stock after selling 786,439 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club were worth $3,747,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 60.1% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,225,865 shares of the company's stock worth $768,716,000 after buying an additional 3,087,151 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,777,512 shares of the company's stock worth $538,753,000 after buying an additional 65,159 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 25.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,082,478 shares of the company's stock worth $473,941,000 after buying an additional 1,028,779 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 32.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,272,839 shares of the company's stock valued at $305,192,000 after purchasing an additional 809,890 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 38.6% in the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 2,411,459 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,028,000 after purchasing an additional 672,122 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Down 8.4%

NYSE:BJ opened at $86.48 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.27. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $85.13 and a one year high of $117.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.75.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.06. BJ's Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 27.55% and a net margin of 2.70%.The company had revenue of $5.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. BJ's Wholesale Club's quarterly revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. BJ's Wholesale Club has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BJ's Wholesale Club News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting BJ's Wholesale Club this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BJ's Q1 earnings and revenue both topped estimates, with EPS of $1.10 versus $1.04 expected and revenue of $5.66 billion versus $5.44 billion expected. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management said membership gains, fuel sales, and digital sales all accelerated, reinforcing BJ's value-oriented business model as inflation-weary shoppers continue to seek lower prices. BJ's Wholesale Revenue Rises on Membership Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Fitch assigned BJ its first investment-grade Long Term Issuer Default Rating of BBB with a stable outlook, which can support investor confidence and potentially lower financing risk. BJ’s Wholesale Club Receives First-Time Investment Grade Rating from Fitch
• Positive Sentiment: The company also raised its growth profile by announcing new club openings in Kentucky, Florida, and Indiana, signaling continued expansion. BJ’s Wholesale Club Accelerates Growth with New Locations in Kentucky, Florida and Indiana
• Neutral Sentiment: BJ maintained FY2026 EPS guidance of $4.40 to $4.60, which is close to Wall Street expectations and suggests the quarter did not materially change the long-term earnings outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Even with the beat, the stock has been under pressure as investors reassess BJ's steady but not especially fast growth, and some commentary says the company still looks like a “hold” after the quarter. BJ's Wholesale Club: After Q1, The Hold Case Still Makes Sense
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s premium valuation has already compressed, and the market may be worried that near-term upside is limited despite solid operating performance. Compared to Estimates, BJ's (BJ) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.19, for a total transaction of $186,939.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 14,769 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,346,785.11. This trade represents a 12.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.02, for a total value of $728,160.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 306,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,882,156.60. This represents a 2.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded BJ's Wholesale Club from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $120.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Bank of America assumed coverage on BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. William Blair reissued a "mixed" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Evercore reissued a "positive" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ's Wholesale Club presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.75.

BJ's Wholesale Club Company Profile

BJ's Wholesale Club, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, is a membership-based warehouse retailer offering a wide range of products and services primarily to small businesses and individual consumers. The company operates large-format clubs that provide value-priced groceries, health and beauty products, electronics, home goods, furniture, seasonal items and automotive supplies. In addition to its in-club offerings, BJ's features fuel stations at many locations and operates an e-commerce platform for online ordering and home delivery.

Founded in 1984 as a division of Zayre Corp., BJ's Wholesale Club quickly expanded throughout the Northeastern United States.

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