Walter Public Investments Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Walter Public Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 258,751 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,279 shares during the period. BJ's Wholesale Club makes up 5.5% of Walter Public Investments Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its largest position. Walter Public Investments Inc. owned approximately 0.20% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $29,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company's stock worth $470,775,000 after purchasing an additional 504,958 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,331,379 shares of the company's stock valued at $387,009,000 after purchasing an additional 43,106 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 65.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,186,760 shares of the company's stock worth $477,709,000 after buying an additional 1,662,415 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 199.7% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,986,494 shares of the company's stock valued at $340,759,000 after buying an additional 1,989,980 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,571,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,808,000 after buying an additional 73,322 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on BJ. DA Davidson boosted 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Roth Capital reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $106.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $116.12.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE BJ traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $106.56. The company had a trading volume of 1,292,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,686,918. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $111.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.77. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $76.33 and a 12-month high of $121.10. The company has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.78, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.77.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 22nd. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.23. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 31.98%. The business had revenue of $5.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. BJ's Wholesale Club's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Wholesale Club

In other news, Director Steven L. Ortega purchased 1,740 shares of the business's 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 purchase, the director directly owned 8,641 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $990,258.60. This trade represents a 25.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,705,097.60. The trade was a 12.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,900 shares of company stock worth $4,172,628 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.