BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Sets New 12-Month High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $112.27 and last traded at $111.43, with a volume of 671599 shares. The stock had previously closed at $100.09.

The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.07. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The company had revenue of $5.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.29 billion.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on BJ shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Wholesale Club currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.24.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Wholesale Club

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Covestor Ltd increased 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 652.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 78.7% during the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Up 11.9 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.28. The company has a market capitalization of $14.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.93, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.14.

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.