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

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its holdings in BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ - Free Report) by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,651,927 shares of the company's stock after selling 372,792 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 2.00% of BJ's Wholesale Club worth $232,945,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BJ. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in BJ's Wholesale Club in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in the first quarter worth $26,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club during the second quarter worth $45,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 394.5% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 628 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 103.6% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 745 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Performance

Shares of BJ traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $83.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,342,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,514,905. The stock's 50-day moving average is $82.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81, 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 Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $63.08 and a one year high of $92.37.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last issued 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 2.62% and a return on equity of 36.12%. The firm had revenue of $5.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.83 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BJ shares. Loop Capital raised their price target on BJ's Wholesale Club from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of 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. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $75.00 to $92.00 in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price objective on shares of 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.31.

Insider Activity at BJ's Wholesale Club

In related news, EVP Graham Luce sold 16,596 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.15, for a total value of $1,512,725.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,131 shares in the company, valued at $1,288,040.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Graham Luce sold 16,596 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.15, for a total value of $1,512,725.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,288,040.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeff Desroches sold 28,842 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.86, for a total transaction of $2,591,742.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,452 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,252,496.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 68,438 shares of company stock worth $6,025,038 over the last three months. Company 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.