BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Short Interest Up 16.2% in November

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 8,380,000 shares, an increase of 16.2% from the November 15th total of 7,210,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,450,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days. Approximately 6.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on BJ shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Melius Research started coverage on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $75.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on BJ's Wholesale Club from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.56.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Up 0.1 %

BJ stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $97.59. 1,407,481 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,506,147. 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's 50 day moving average price is $90.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.19. The stock has a market cap of $12.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.29. BJ's Wholesale Club has a fifty-two week low of $64.06 and a fifty-two week high of $100.74.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.12 billion. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that BJ's Wholesale Club will post 3.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.75, for a total value of $921,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 434,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,413,830. This represents a 2.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ's Wholesale Club

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Davis Capital Management purchased a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club during the third quarter worth about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 375.6% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 371 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 394.5% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 628 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% 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.