Evercore ISI Issues Pessimistic Forecast for BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) Stock Price

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) had its price objective cut by research analysts at Evercore ISI from $115.00 to $110.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “in-line” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI’s price objective points to a potential downside of 4.38% from the stock’s current price.

BJ has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen upped their price objective on BJ’s Wholesale Club from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $87.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $101.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club from $102.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.94.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Stock Performance

Shares of BJ stock opened at $115.04 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $106.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $95.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 27.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.28. 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 has a 52 week low of $71.81 and a 52 week high of $118.40.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $5.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.29 billion. BJ’s Wholesale Club had a return on equity of 35.41% and a net margin of 2.71%. On average, research analysts predict that BJ’s Wholesale Club will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other BJ’s Wholesale Club news, 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 transaction of $1,270,960.67. Following the transaction, the director now owns 24,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,619,924.09. The trade was a 32.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP William C. Werner sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.41, for a total value of $2,208,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 31,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,456,716.28. This trade represents a 38.98 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Wholesale Club

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 66.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in BJ’s Wholesale Club by 78.7% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 652.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club by 68.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 624 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the period. 98.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.