Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $24.03 Million Position in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 16.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 268,910 shares of the company's stock after selling 51,740 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $24,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of BJ. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,330,361 shares of the company's stock worth $208,218,000 after acquiring an additional 245,731 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 278.6% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 53,968 shares of the company's stock worth $4,822,000 after acquiring an additional 39,713 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 151.8% during the fourth quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 19,784 shares of the company's stock worth $1,768,000 after acquiring an additional 11,928 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in BJ's Wholesale Club during the fourth quarter worth about $307,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 1,462.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 54,208 shares of the company's stock worth $4,843,000 after buying an additional 50,738 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of BJ's Wholesale Club to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.06.

BJ's Wholesale Club Price Performance

Shares of BJ traded up $5.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $116.65. The company had a trading volume of 2,875,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,670,391. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $113.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.76. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.33 and a 1-year high of $121.10. The company has a market capitalization of $15.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.07. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.29 billion. Analysts expect that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BJ's Wholesale Club news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 2,100 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $251,454.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 14,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,097.60. This trade represents a 12.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total transaction of $1,270,960.67. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,924.09. The trade was a 32.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 328,505 shares of company stock worth $37,452,686 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club 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.