BJ’s Wholesale Club Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:BJ)

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 2,732 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 50% compared to the average daily volume of 1,821 call options.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Trading Down 1.2 %

BJ’s Wholesale Club stock opened at $109.45 on Wednesday. BJ’s Wholesale Club has a 52-week low of $71.81 and a 52-week high of $118.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.31, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $103.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.22.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.29 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. Sell-side analysts expect that BJ’s Wholesale Club will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on BJ. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Loop Capital raised their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a report on Friday, March 7th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.71.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Wholesale Club

In other BJ’s Wholesale Club news, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the company’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 value of $1,270,960.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,351 shares in the company, valued at $2,619,924.09. This represents a 32.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 31,308 shares in the company, valued at $3,456,716.28. This represents a 38.98 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Wholesale Club

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BJ. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 66.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 652.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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 valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 3rd quarter worth about $55,000. 98.60% of the stock is currently 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.