Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 372,792 Shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 12.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,651,927 shares of the company’s stock after selling 372,792 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 2.00% of BJ’s Wholesale Club worth $232,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,461 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 7.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,863 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 1.1% in the second quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 12,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,138,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 11.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 1,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Price Performance

Shares of BJ opened at $84.48 on Wednesday. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $63.08 and a fifty-two week high of $92.37. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $82.46. The stock has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a PE ratio of 21.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.76.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 36.12% and a net margin of 2.62%. The company had revenue of $5.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America cut their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $95.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Loop Capital increased their price objective on 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $75.00 to $92.00 in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.60, for a total transaction of $963,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 456,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,014,979.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.60, for a total transaction of $963,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 456,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,014,979.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Joseph Mcgrail sold 1,000 shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.57, for a total value of $83,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,133,710.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 68,438 shares of company stock worth $6,025,038 in the last three months. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

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.