BJs Wholesale Club Holdings Inc

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of $1.36 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16 by 17.2% and rising 19.3% year over year. Total revenues grew 15.7% to $6,226.6 million, ahead of the $5,883 million consensus, with net sales up 15.9% to $6,091 million and membership fee income up 9.9% to $135.6 million. Total comparable club sales increased 11.9%, while comparable club sales excluding gasoline rose 3.1%, and digitally enabled comparable sales surged 30%. The company raised its full-year adjusted earnings per share guidance to $4.60-$4.80 from $4.40-$4.60, while maintaining comparable club sales growth outlook of 2-3% excluding gasoline.

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Ross Stores, Flowers Foods, and Broadcom all moved on company-specific news. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings jumped 5.6% after reporting second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $1.36 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16 per share. Ross Stores gained 4.4% after reporting second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $2.06 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93 per share. Flowers Foods declined 2.1% after reporting second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $0.21 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.23 per share. Broadcom gained 1.2% following a report that the company plans to raise more than $60 billion in debt to fund a deal supporting Anthropic.

U.S. stock futures are rebounding in pre-market trading on Friday, August 21st, 2026, with the Dow up 312 points, the S&P 500 up 35, the Nasdaq up 201, and the Russell 2000 up 23 points. BJ's Wholesale Club reported second-quarter earnings of $1.36 per share, beating the Zacks consensus by 20 cents and up from $1.14 a year ago, while revenues of $6.09 billion exceeded expectations by 3.54%. The U.S. has shifted its policy to economic warfare in its military campaign against Iran, which began with major bombing six months ago and resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Later today, flash S&P Manufacturing and Services PMI for August are expected to rise to 54.0 and 53.9, respectively, both above the 50 growth threshold. Next week, NVIDIA reports quarterly results after Wednesday's close, with expectations for 99% earnings growth and 96.5% revenue growth year over year, and the July Personal Consumption Expenditures index is due, following last month's 3.7% headline and 3.3% core readings.

Broadcom is in talks with a group of lenders to raise more than $60 billion in debt for an AI chip financing deal that will benefit Anthropic PBC and other companies, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Ross Stores shares climbed after the off-price retailer boosted its earnings per share forecast for the full year, citing strength throughout the second quarter with comparable store sales growth supported by both an increase in new customers and higher engagement from existing customers. BJ's Wholesale also boosted its adjusted earnings per share guidance for the full year, beating the average analyst estimate.

BJ's Wholesale Club announced plans for a new club location in Tyler, Texas, building on its successful debut in the Dallas-Fort Worth area earlier this year. The new location is part of the company's accelerated growth strategy, with BJ's on track to open 25 to 30 new clubs every two years. The Tyler club is expected to create between 100 and 150 jobs. BJ's currently operates 267 clubs and 206 BJ's Gas locations in 22 states.

Several companies made notable premarket moves on Friday. BJ's Wholesale shares ticked slightly higher after the retailer reported second-quarter earnings of $1.36 per share excluding items on revenue of $6.09 billion, beating FactSet estimates of $1.17 per share on $5.97 billion in revenue, and raised its full-year EPS guidance to $4.60 to $4.80 from $4.40 to $4.60. Ross Stores jumped over 8% after posting better-than-expected second-quarter results and issuing third-quarter earnings guidance above estimates. Crypto-related stocks including Robinhood, Coinbase, and Strategy rose at least 4.5% as bitcoin headed for a weekly gain of more than 20%, boosted by the White House hosting crypto leaders and urging Congress to pass the Clarity Act. Broadcom gained over 1% after Bloomberg News reported the semiconductor maker plans to raise over $60 billion in debt to support Anthropic.

BJ's Wholesale Club could be a more compelling investment than Costco Wholesale right now, according to an analysis by The Motley Fool. While Costco's membership model generates reliable high-margin profit with renewal rates above 90% across more than 900 warehouses worldwide, its stock trades at a rich premium. BJ's operates roughly 263 clubs mostly in the eastern United States, giving it far more room to grow relative to its size, and its recent push into new markets like Texas is running ahead of plan. BJ's also trades at a meaningfully cheaper valuation than Costco, offering the same membership economics with a longer runway of store expansion. The analysis notes that BJ's is a higher-upside, higher-risk pick with thinner margins and a more regional footprint, but for investors focused on growth, the combination of a smaller base and a friendlier entry price could translate into better returns.

TimesSquare Capital Management’s U.S. Mid Cap Growth Strategy highlighted BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings in its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, noting that fourth-quarter results outpaced consensus on better same-store sales and higher gross margins from gasoline sales, leading to a 9% rise in the stock price. The strategy, which fell 7.72% net in the quarter versus a 6.35% decline for the Russell Midcap Growth Index, favors value-oriented retailers, franchise models, and premium brands in the consumer sector. BJ’s operates membership warehouse clubs in the eastern half of the United States and closed at $87.22 per share on June 30, 2026, with a market capitalization of $11.14 billion. The stock posted a one-month return of negative 2.20% and lost 20.08% over the past 52 weeks.

BJ's Wholesale Club has used tariff refunds to lower retail prices, returning value to customers who absorbed higher costs during the tariff hikes. CEO Bob Eddy said the move resulted in roughly half a point of deflation in retail pricing and improved price gaps. The refunds contributed approximately 50 basis points to quarterly merchandise margin, amounting to around $20 million. The refunds stem from a Supreme Court ruling that certain country-specific tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act exceeded executive authority, leading to an estimated $166 billion in refunds processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Competitors Walmart and Costco have also signaled plans to pass tariff-related savings to customers, though Costco has not yet received refund payments.

Sprouts Farmers Market reported first-quarter revenues of $2.33 billion, up 4.1% year on year, in line with analyst expectations but with full-year EPS guidance missing estimates. The results were part of a broader non-discretionary retail earnings season where nine tracked stocks collectively beat revenue consensus by 1.5% and issued in-line next-quarter guidance. Target delivered the strongest quarter with revenues of $25.44 billion, a 6.7% increase that exceeded expectations by 3.4%, while Walmart posted the weakest guidance update despite revenues of $177.8 billion, up 7.3% and beating estimates by 1.6%. BJ's Wholesale Club achieved the largest analyst estimate beat with revenues of $5.66 billion, a 9.9% rise, and Dollar General reported revenues of $10.79 billion, up 3.4%, in line with expectations. Share prices across the group have held steady, rising 2.8% on average since the latest earnings results.

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings reported record membership metrics in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, with membership fee income rising 9.9% to $132.4 million and total members reaching an all-time high. The company maintained a 90% tenured renewal rate and surpassed 8 million members, with 42% penetration in higher-tier memberships that management says are more engaged and deliver greater lifetime value. In Texas, its 22nd state, membership acquisition across four new clubs ran 33% ahead of plan, amassing roughly 100,000 members in the Dallas-Fort Worth region alone. BJ's noted that membership fee income has grown every year for more than 25 years at an 8% CAGR from fiscal 1997 through fiscal 2025, though it cautioned that growth should moderate as it laps last year's fee increase. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, below the industry's 18.13.