Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Stock

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $115.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.72% from the stock's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on 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 target price on BJ's Wholesale Club from $75.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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 note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Seven research 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $94.88.

BJ's Wholesale Club Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BJ traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $106.76. 1,078,661 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,509,575. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $96.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.46. The company has a market cap of $14.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.32. 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 has a 52 week low of $67.19 and a 52 week high of $108.00.

BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.29. BJ's Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. BJ's Wholesale Club's revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that BJ's Wholesale Club will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJ. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 20,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,787,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Lifestyle Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,329 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in BJ's Wholesale Club by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 15,146 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in BJ's Wholesale Club by 66.5% in 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. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of BJ's Wholesale Club by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,906 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.60% of the company's stock.

BJ's Wholesale Club Company Profile

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.