BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $98.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 1.30% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded BJ’s Wholesale Club from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $78.00 in a report on Monday, August 26th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Melius Research began coverage on BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.50.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

NYSE BJ opened at $96.74 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $85.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $85.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $12.83 billion, a PE ratio of 23.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.24. BJ’s Wholesale Club has a twelve month low of $63.73 and a twelve month high of $97.53.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The company reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.09. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The business had revenue of $5.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.15 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that BJ’s Wholesale Club will post 3.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.57, for a total transaction of $83,570.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,133,710.62. This trade represents a 6.87 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.75, for a total value of $921,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 434,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,413,830. The trade was a 2.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,000 shares of company stock worth $2,818,390. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 98,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,435,000 after purchasing an additional 1,794 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in the first quarter valued at approximately $140,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 95.2% in the first quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $602,000 after acquiring an additional 3,883 shares during the period. Bayesian Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club during the first quarter worth approximately $908,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 149,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,293,000 after acquiring an additional 1,955 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Company Profile

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.