River Road Asset Management LLC Has $259.21 Million Position in BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)

River Road Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,888,528 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,297 shares during the period. BJ’s Wholesale Club comprises approximately 3.6% of River Road Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 2.92% of BJ’s Wholesale Club worth $259,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 491 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 159.9% in the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 668 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 411 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 824 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. 98.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE BJ traded down $0.98 on Wednesday, reaching $75.28. 3,372,849 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,414,603. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $60.33 and a 12 month high of $80.42. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.30. The company has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.38 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 40.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. will post 3.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Christopher J. Baldwin sold 73,062 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.95, for a total value of $5,402,934.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 173,294 shares in the company, valued at $12,815,091.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Christopher J. Baldwin sold 73,062 shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.95, for a total transaction of $5,402,934.90. Following the transaction, the director now owns 173,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,815,091.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club stock in a transaction on Monday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.70, for a total transaction of $843,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 500,792 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,410,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 98,840 shares of company stock worth $7,408,605. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on BJ shares. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down previously from $73.00) on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $79.00 to $78.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $81.00 to $87.00 in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.40.

BJ’s Wholesale Club 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.