Vanguard Group Inc. Trims Holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its position in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,122,196 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,372 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.97% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $1,497,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BJ. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 92.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 21,456 shares of the company's stock worth $2,448,000 after purchasing an additional 10,326 shares in the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club in the first quarter worth about $9,805,000. iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club in the fourth quarter worth about $843,000. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $936,000. Finally, Colonial River Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 1st quarter worth approximately $308,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Performance

BJ stock traded up $0.31 on Tuesday, hitting $107.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,756,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,589,091. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.33 and a 12-month high of $121.10. The stock has a market cap of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $108.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.84.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last issued 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. BJ's Wholesale Club's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on BJ. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "in-line" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $127.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, May 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.41.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Wholesale Club

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

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.