Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Trims Stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 1.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,491,329 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,994 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 1.12% of BJ’s Wholesale Club worth $130,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of BJ. Putnam Investments LLC grew its stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,647,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,174,000 after purchasing an additional 150,414 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 1.8% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,118,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,946,000 after buying an additional 56,442 shares during the period. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 2,514,630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,625,000 after acquiring an additional 377,019 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 17.2% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,624,781 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,721,000 after acquiring an additional 237,902 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 4th quarter worth about $81,646,000. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Price Performance

NYSE BJ opened at $80.19 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $10.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.83, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $84.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.91. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.08 and a 1 year high of $92.37.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $5.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 36.12% and a net margin of 2.62%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.97 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other BJ’s Wholesale Club news, EVP Jeff Desroches sold 28,842 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.86, for a total transaction of $2,591,742.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,452 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,252,496.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.90, for a total transaction of $955,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 467,792 shares in the company, valued at $40,651,124.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jeff Desroches sold 28,842 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.86, for a total transaction of $2,591,742.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,452 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,252,496.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 79,438 shares of company stock valued at $6,980,938 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BJ shares. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Gordon Haskett upgraded BJ’s Wholesale Club from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded BJ’s Wholesale Club from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $75.00 to $92.00 in a report on Friday, August 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $93.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $89.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.07.

About BJ’s Wholesale Club

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates warehouse clubs on the eastern half of the United States. It provides groceries, general merchandise, gasoline and other ancillary services, coupon books, and promotions. The company sells its products through the websites BJs.com, BerkleyJensen.com, and Wellsleyfarms.com, as well as the mobile app.