Costco – Is BJ’s Wholesale Membership Stock a Purchase?
BJ’s Wholesale (NYSE:BJ) has lengthy remained a struggling retailer overshadowed by bigger friends equivalent to Costco and Walmart‘s Sam’s Membership.
Nonetheless, it has seen an enormous surge in gross sales amid the pandemic. This was once more confirmed upon the discharge of the corporate’s third-quarter earnings. Because of its dramatically improved financials, the stock has lastly made itself worthy of investor consideration.
BJ’s gradual path to success
Admittedly, BJ’s stock has not seemed interesting within the latest previous. Though based at about the identical time as Costco, BJ’s has not seen as a lot development as its West Coast-based peer. Costco covers almost each U.S. state and operates warehouses on 4 continents. BJ’s has remained totally on the East Coast, so few individuals west of the Mississippi have probably set foot in a BJ’s warehouse.
Earlier than the pandemic, it was a retailer combating meager gross sales development, weak cash flows, and large debt. Consequently, its stock attracted little curiosity. After the corporate launched its second IPO in 2018, it traded in a spread till early 2020.
Apparently, COVID-19 might turn out to be the perfect factor that ever occurred to BJ’s Wholesale. Due to the pandemic, this once-stagnant stock has damaged out of its vary. Though the stock has plateaued in latest weeks, the surge from the March lows has led to stock development of about 90% for the reason that starting of the yr.
BJ information by YCharts
The sport changer
Maybe no space reveals this virtuous cycle greater than the corporate’s free cash circulate. As we speak, cash flows have remained sturdy, regardless of an anticipated decline as the corporate prepares for the vacation season.
In keeping with the most recent earnings announcement, free cash circulate was simply over $20 million for the third quarter of 2020. Nonetheless, over the primary three quarters of the yr, it got here in at greater than $675 million. Compared, the corporate generated about $180 million in free cash circulate in all of fiscal 2019.
Improved profitability made these increased cash flows potential. In the latest quarter, adjusted earnings per share of $0.92 per share amounted to a 124% improve from year-ago ranges. A 19% improve in comparable membership gross sales (excluding gasoline) and a 200% surge in digitally enabled gross sales fueled this revenue improve.
The stability sheet additionally skilled a dramatic enchancment in a single key space. Lengthy-term debt fell by greater than $350 million from final quarter alone to about $845 million. This can go a great distance towards stabilizing the corporate’s stability sheet.

Picture supply: Getty Pictures.
BJ’s value proposition
Moreover, if earnings forecasts show correct, these will increase ought to proceed. Analysts forecast 93% revenue development for the present yr. Though they foresee a 10% pullback subsequent yr, the corporate seems positioned to carry on to most of its gross sales positive factors.
Furthermore, it seems the stock price has not totally mirrored the positive factors in internet revenue. Even after surging within the late spring and summer season, BJ’s nonetheless trades at a big low cost to its friends. At a ahead P/E ratio of about 17, it is available in decrease than Costco, Walmart, and Amazon.
Moreover, BJ’s operates in 16 states and has expanded into Ohio and Michigan lately. Administration has made increasing its footprint one among its priorities. This might level to a technique by which this regional retailer finally goes nationwide, and maybe sometime, opens warehouses outdoors of the U.S.
Buyers ought to keep in mind that in previous a long time, such development trajectories led to outsized returns in retail stocks like Costco, Walmart, and Home Depot. For the reason that market cap of BJ’s stands at just below $6 billion, traders can nonetheless purchase whereas the corporate is relatively small.
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