BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Short Interest Update

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,460,000 shares, a drop of 15.4% from the February 28th total of 7,640,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,710,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days. Currently, 5.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

NYSE BJ opened at $114.29 on Tuesday. BJ’s Wholesale Club has a fifty-two week low of $71.81 and a fifty-two week high of $118.40. The stock has a market cap of $15.05 billion, a PE ratio of 27.47, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $105.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $95.17.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.29 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 35.41% and a net margin of 2.71%. On average, equities analysts expect that BJ’s Wholesale Club will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BJ has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $87.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Wholesale Club currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $108.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.41, for a total transaction of $2,208,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,456,716.28. This trade represents a 38.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total transaction of $1,270,960.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,619,924.09. This trade represents a 32.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Wholesale Club

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 652.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 68.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 624 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.