BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Hits New 1-Year High Following Earnings Beat

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $112.27 and last traded at $111.43, with a volume of 671599 shares traded. 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 return on equity of 35.41% and a net margin of 2.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen upped their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $87.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Roth Mkm upped their price target on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $75.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.24.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Wholesale Club

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 3.2% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 16.3% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,136 shares of the company’s stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 50.0% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 134,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,131,000 after purchasing an additional 45,000 shares during the last quarter. Olympiad Research LP bought a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $322,000. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 14.4% in the third quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.14. The company has a market capitalization of $14.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.28.

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.