BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) Short Interest Update

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,880,000 shares, a decrease of 14.3% from the December 15th total of 8,030,000 shares. Approximately 5.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,470,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.7 days.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of BJ stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $95.01. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 813,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,166,463. BJ’s Wholesale Club has a 52 week low of $64.06 and a 52 week high of $100.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $93.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.00. The company has a market cap of $12.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.32.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 21st. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $5.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.12 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 35.41%. BJ’s Wholesale Club’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BJ’s Wholesale Club will post 3.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Melius Research started coverage on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $90.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Citigroup upped their target price on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $94.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Wholesale Club

In other news, CEO Robert W. Eddy sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.47, for a total value of $940,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 423,792 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,221,502.24. The trade was a 2.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Wholesale Club

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 375.6% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club during the third quarter worth $41,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 394.5% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 628 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in BJ’s Wholesale Club in the 3rd quarter valued at $55,000. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.