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Factors to Note Ahead of BJ's Wholesale (BJ) Q4 Earnings

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BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (BJ - Free Report) is likely to register an increase in the top line when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 results on Mar 7 before market open. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $5,396 million, indicating growth of 9.5% from the prior-year reported figure.

The bottom line of this operator of membership warehouse clubs is expected to increase year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter earnings per share has been stable at $1.06 over the past 30 days. The consensus figure suggests an increase of 6% from the year-ago quarter.

BJ's Wholesale has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.1%, on average. In the last reported quarter, this Westborough, MA-based company’s bottom line surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a margin of 3.2%.

Factors to Consider

BJ's Wholesale’s focus on simplifying assortments, boosting marketing and merchandising capabilities, expanding into high-demand categories and building an own-brand portfolio is commendable. The company remains committed to enhancing omnichannel capabilities, expediting the opening of new clubs and providing value for customers. These endeavors have been contributing to growth in membership signups and renewals.

The fourth quarter is anticipated to reflect the positive impact of BJ's Wholesale's emphasis on better pricing, private-label offerings, merchandise initiatives and digital solutions. These factors are expected to have contributed favorably to the company's top-line performance. BJ's Wholesale ongoing efforts to transform its general merchandise segment, with improvements in assortment and pricing, have shown promising results.

However, the quarter may also reveal challenges, particularly in the form of potential deleverage in SG&A expenses, which could adversely affect margins. Also, persisting disinflationary pressures, cautious consumer spending behavior and reduced government aid could hurt BJ's Wholesale results.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for BJ's Wholesale this time. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. However, that’s not the case here.

BJ's Wholesale has a Zacks Rank #3 but an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks With the Favorable Combination

Here are companies you may want to consider as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat:

Costco (COST - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +1.58% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2024 earnings per share is pegged at $3.60, up 9.1% year over year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Costco’s top line is expected to ascend year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $59.2 billion, which indicates an increase of 7.1% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. COST has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.6%, on average.

Burlington Stores (BURL - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.32% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to register a bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 results. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly earnings per share of $3.27 suggests a rise of 10.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Burlington Stores’ top line is anticipated to advance year over year. The consensus mark for revenues is pegged at $3.03 billion, indicating an increase of 10.3% from the figure reported in the year-ago quarter. BURL has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.4%, on average.

Target (TGT - Free Report) currently has an Earnings ESP of +0.76% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is likely to register a bottom-line increase when it reports fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 numbers. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarterly earnings per share of $2.41 suggests an increase of 27.5% from the year-ago quarter.

Target’s top line is expected to rise year over year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $31.84 billion, which indicates an increase of 1.4% from the figure reported in the prior-year quarter. Target has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.8%, on average.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

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