DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Cuts Stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main decreased its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 36.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,006 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,787 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main’s holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club were worth $3,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BJ. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 4th quarter worth $135,344,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 658.6% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,523,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,100,000 after buying an additional 1,322,425 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the fourth quarter valued at about $85,550,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,268,889 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,775,000 after acquiring an additional 504,958 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 923.0% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 405,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,163,000 after acquiring an additional 365,658 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BJ has been the subject of several research reports. Argus raised BJ’s Wholesale Club to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 4th. DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $123.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $95.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $108.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Wholesale Club currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.12.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

NYSE:BJ opened at $114.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $113.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.84. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.33 and a fifty-two week high of $121.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.29 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 35.41% and a net margin of 2.71%. Analysts expect that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Wholesale Club

In related news, EVP William C. Werner sold 14,192 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.64, for a total transaction of $1,669,546.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 26,113 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,071,933.32. This trade represents a 35.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert Allan Steele sold 11,813 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.59, for a total value of $1,270,960.67. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,351 shares in the company, valued at $2,619,924.09. This trade represents a 32.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 328,505 shares of company stock worth $37,452,686. 2.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About BJ’s Wholesale Club

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.