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. The company was formerly known as Beacon Holding Inc. and changed its name to BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. in February 2018. BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is based in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

Сильный индекс, значительно упал. Быки в растерянности.

Strong index, significantly down. The bulls are confused.

Слабый индекс, значительно упал. Рынок на стороне быков.

Weak index, significantly down. The market is on the bulls' side.

Средний индекс, незначительно вырос. Отток средств из лонгов на высоком уровне.

Medium index, slightly up. Outflow of funds from longs at a high level.

Newell Brands Inc. NWL is showing encouraging signs of a business turnaround, with its sales recovery gaining traction across multiple brands, categories and markets. The improvement reflects the company's efforts to rebuild its commercial capabilities, strengthen consumer-led innovation and improve retail execution. Higher advertising investments, new product introductions and expanding distribution are helping Newell Brands reconnect with consumers and strengthen its competitive position. The broad-based nature of this recovery suggests that its transformation strategy is beginning to translate into tangible business improvements.
In the second quarter of 2026, NWL's net sales increased 3% to approximately $2 billion, while core sales advanced 2.3%, marking the first year-over-year growth in both metrics in more than four years. Five of its six business units, seven of its top 10 brands and five of its top 10 countries delivered sales growth. The U.S. business registered approximately 5% net sales growth, while domestic distribution points increased at a mid-single-digit rate. Learning and Development recorded nearly 5% core sales growth, while Outdoor & Recreation grew nearly 4%.
A key driver behind this recovery is Newell Brands' renewed focus on innovation and brand-building. Strong demand for Graco's rotating car seats, Sharpie's writing products and Coleman's outdoor offerings highlights improving consumer acceptance of its product portfolio. Distribution gains, enhanced merchandising and stronger retailer partnerships are further supporting sales momentum. Meanwhile, the recovery in Kitchen and Home Fragrance reflects improving execution across previously challenged categories. The company's increased marketing efforts are also helping translate product innovation into stronger consumer demand and market-share gains.
Looking ahead, NWL's ability to sustain this momentum will depend on continued innovation, distribution expansion and disciplined execution. Management expects additional product launches and improved retail activation to support growth in the second half of 2026. However, inflationary pressures, tariff-related costs and uneven consumer spending remain challenges. While the recovery in several business units is encouraging, the Commercial business and certain international markets still require improvement. Sustained consumer demand and further progress across these weaker areas will be important in determining whether Newell Brands' emerging sales recovery develops into durable, company-wide growth.
BJ, CHD & CL: Strong Sales Momentum Driven by Key Growth Catalysts
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ continues to demonstrate strong sales momentum, supported by increasing customer traffic, robust membership growth and sustained market-share gains. The warehouse club operator is witnessing healthy demand across its grocery, perishables and sundries businesses, while general merchandise is benefiting from strength in consumer electronics, home products and seasonal categories. BJ’s competitive pricing strategy, improved merchandise assortment and investments in member value are attracting shoppers amid persistent economic uncertainty. Meanwhile, growing adoption of digitally enabled services, expanding club presence and strong fuel demand are further strengthening customer engagement. These factors are reinforcing the company's competitive position and supporting its ability to sustain sales growth.
Church & Dwight Co., Inc. CHD continues to exhibit broad-based sales strength, driven by robust consumer demand, product innovation and market-share gains across its domestic, international and specialty products businesses. Strong performances from THERABREATH, HERO, ARM & HAMMER cat litter and ZICAM are supporting domestic growth, while international markets are benefiting from increasing brand penetration and favorable product mix. The company is also capitalizing on the growing popularity of premium personal care products, supported by its expanding innovation pipeline and recent acquisition of MISS MOUTH'S. Strong e-commerce momentum, distribution gains and higher marketing investments are further strengthening brand visibility and consumer engagement. These initiatives are helping Church & Dwight maintain healthy organic sales growth despite inflationary pressures and intense competition.
Colgate-Palmolive Company CL continues to demonstrate resilient sales performance, supported by its diversified product portfolio, strong international presence and sustained investments in innovation and brand-building. Growth across emerging markets, particularly India, Brazil, Mexico and China, alongside solid contributions from Europe, is supporting its overall sales trajectory. The company's Hill's Pet Nutrition business is also benefiting from premium, science-led innovation and market-share gains despite a challenging pet care environment. Meanwhile, Colgate’s new product introductions across oral care and home care, increased advertising investments and expanding digital capabilities are strengthening consumer engagement. However, softer demand, heightened competition and retailer inventory reductions in North America remain challenges, making continued international momentum and improved domestic execution important for sustaining growth.
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NWL Sees Broad-Based Sales Recovery: What's Behind the Shift?

Target Corporation TGT is increasingly leaning into artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to personalize the digital shopping experience and deepen engagement with its core consumer base. As part of its broader push to accelerate tech capabilities, the retailer is utilizing AI-powered tools designed to streamline discovery and deliver highly customized content to digital shoppers.
Target has also joined with OpenAI, Google Gemini and other leading platforms to participate in the early development of agentic commerce. Although traffic from external AI platforms remains a small part of the business, management said this traffic is expanding at more than 3.5 times the industry pace compared with a year earlier.
The personalization push is also becoming visible within Target’s own digital ecosystem. During the back-to-school and back-to-college season, the company introduced AI-powered teacher and college wish lists, along with more personalized content on the Target app’s home screen. This tailored approach resonated strongly with consumers. Total wish-list creations increased more than 50% year over year, the number of items added to those lists more than doubled, and conversion across key back-to-school pages rose nearly 20%.
These trends show how Target is using AI not simply as a back-end efficiency tool, but as a way to improve discovery and engagement in digital shopping. By pairing personalized app experiences with AI-enabled shopping tools and external AI-platform partnerships, Target is broadening how guests can find, organize and purchase products across its digital channels.
How Target Compares With Walmart and BJ’s Wholesale
Walmart Inc. WMT is using AI to make digital shopping more personalized and convenient. Walmart said usage of its AI-powered Sparky assistant increased 70% year over year, while customers using Sparky spend 40% more per order. Walmart also highlighted Sparky’s ability to build meal plans, recommend products and recognize prior purchases across stores and online, helping shoppers avoid duplicate purchases and simplifying product discovery.
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ is also deepening digital engagement through AI-enabled shopping support. BJ’s Wholesale said its AI-powered assistant, Bev, has handled more than 100,000 member conversations, helping shoppers find products, check club hours and better use their memberships. BJ’s Wholesale is pairing this capability with broader digital convenience, as digitally enabled comparable sales rose 30% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 and digitally engaged members demonstrated stronger spending and loyalty.
How Does Target Stack Up Against Its Industry?
Target has seen its shares rally 21.7% over the past three months against the industry’s 7.3% decline.
What Does Target’s Current Valuation Suggest?
From a valuation standpoint, Target's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 16.21, lower than the industry’s 26.78. However, the stock is trading above its 12-month median level of 14.81.
What Do Earnings Estimates Signal for Target?
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Target’s earnings per share for the current and next fiscal year has increased by 91 cents and 19 cents to $10.43 and $9.38, respectively, over the past 30 days.
Target currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Target Uses AI Personalization to Deepen Digital Guest Engagement

Newell Brands Inc. NWL has delivered a strong stock-market performance in recent months as investors have gained confidence in its ongoing turnaround. The company’s shares have rallied 51.2% over the past six months, comfortably outperforming the S&P 500 index, which gained 13.9% during the same period and the Consumer Staples sector’s growth of 4.3%. Meanwhile, the broader Consumer Products – Staples industry fell 2%.
The recent rally reflects improving operating trends, stronger innovation, better retail execution and a return to sales growth. Newell reported year-over-year growth in both net sales and core sales in the second quarter of 2026 for the first time in more than four years. The company also raised its 2026 outlook across sales, margins, normalized earnings per share (EPS) and operating cash flow.
NWL’s performance is notably stronger than that of its competitors, BJ's Wholesale Club BJ, Colgate-Palmolive Company CL and Church & Dwight Co., Inc. CHD, which declined 3%, 1.6% and 1.7%, respectively, in the past six months.
Closing at $5.64, NWL stock stands almost 21% below its 52-week high of $7.13, attained on July 31, 2026. The company is trading above its 200-day simple moving average of 4.44, indicating that the stock’s recent recovery remains intact despite its pullback from the 52-week high.
What’s Fueling Newell’s Recent Stock Rally?
Newell’s second-quarter 2026 results provided a significant boost to investor sentiment. Net sales increased 3% year over year to approximately $2 billion, while core sales grew 2.3%, marking the company’s first year-over-year growth in both measures in more than four years. Normalized EPS rose to 42 cents from 24 cents a year ago and exceeded the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 19 cents.
The improvement was broad-based. Learning & Development generated 4.9% core sales growth, led by strength in Baby and a return to growth in Writing. Outdoor & Recreation delivered 3.7% core sales growth, while Home & Commercial Solutions remained under pressure but improved sequentially. Graco, Sharpie, EXPO and Coleman were among the brands benefiting from stronger innovation, distribution gains and improved retail execution.
Newell also raised its 2026 outlook. The company now expects net sales growth of 1-2%, core sales growth of 0-1%, normalized operating margin of 10-10.4% and normalized EPS of $0.73-$0.77, compared with its previous EPS outlook of $0.56-$0.60. Operating cash flow is expected to be around $400 million.
Newell’s improving fundamentals are being supported by strength in key brands such as Graco, Sharpie, Coleman and Oster, while distribution gains and increased advertising and promotional support are helping improve consumer engagement. At the same time, the company continues to face inflation, transportation costs and elevated debt levels, which could limit the pace of its recovery.
Are Newell’s Strategic Efforts Paying Off?
Newell’s strategic initiatives are showing signs of progress as it focuses on rebuilding its brands, improving innovation and strengthening retail execution. Management has emphasized a capability-based turnaround centered on consumer insights, product innovation, advertising and promotion, distribution expansion and better go-to-market execution.
Innovation has become an important growth driver. Newell expects to launch more than 25 Tier 1 and Tier 2 innovations during 2026, while six business units launched key products during the first half. Graco’s rotating car-seat platforms, Sharpie writing products and Coleman outdoor offerings are examples of the company’s efforts to strengthen its major brands.
The company is also benefiting from distribution gains. Six of its top 10 brands delivered year-over-year point-of-sale growth in the second quarter, while eight improved their growth trajectory sequentially. Graco gained 2.7 percentage points of U.S. market share year to date, while the U.S. business recorded 5% net sales growth.
Productivity and cost control remain another key component of the turnaround. In the second quarter, stronger sales, gross productivity and disciplined overhead management helped offset higher commodity and transportation costs. However, Newell expects approximately $200 million of inflationary pressure for 2026, highlighting the need for continued productivity gains and cost discipline.
Overall, Newell’s strategy is producing measurable improvements in sales, margins, distribution and brand momentum. However, investors should distinguish between improvements from underlying operations and the benefit from tariff recoveries. The second-quarter results included approximately $126 million of pretax tariff recoveries, equivalent to about 21 cents per share, making the sustainability of underlying earnings growth an important consideration.
How Have Estimates Shaped Up for NWL?
Following Newell’s stronger-than-expected second-quarter results and raised guidance, analysts have increased their earnings expectations. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Newell’s 2026 EPS had increased by 19 cents to 76 cents in the past 60 days, with several analysts revising their estimates higher.
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How to Play Newell Stock Now?
Newell’s recent performance highlights meaningful progress in its turnaround, with sales returning to growth, margins improving and management raising its full-year outlook. Stronger innovation, distribution gains and improved execution across brands such as Graco, Sharpie and Coleman provide important support for the company’s growth strategy.
The stock’s recent appreciation means investors may want to closely monitor the sustainability of underlying sales and earnings growth, particularly as tariff-related benefits roll off and inflationary pressures remain elevated.
The key factors to watch going forward include the durability of core sales growth, continued market-share gains, the success of new product launches, productivity savings and the company’s ability to offset inflation and transportation costs. These factors will help determine whether the recent improvement represents a sustained turnaround or an early stage of recovery. NWL carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Newell's Stock Surges 51% in 6 Months: Is It Time to Buy or Wait?

Costco Wholesale Corporation COST continues to demonstrate robust momentum across its digital platforms, underscoring how effectively the retail giant is expanding its e-commerce reach. The company's August sales results show sustained strength in its online channels, with digitally enabled comparable sales surging 17.9% for the four-week retail month ended Aug. 30, 2026. It outpaced the company’s total comparable sales increase of 8.4% for the same period.
For the 16-week fourth quarter, digitally enabled comparable sales expanded 19.5%, while fiscal 2026 digital comps posted a remarkable 20.9% increase. Even when excluding the volatile impacts of foreign exchange rates and gasoline price fluctuations, the momentum remains consistent. On an adjusted basis, digitally-enabled sales grew 17.9% in August, 19.8% in the fourth quarter and 20.7% for the 52-week fiscal year. The narrow gap between reported and adjusted digital growth suggests that the channel’s momentum was driven largely by underlying activity.
By integrating digital convenience into its value-oriented warehouse ecosystem, Costco has successfully unlocked greater member accessibility. Costco’s digital reach spans a broad geographic footprint. The company operates e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and China.
As digital adoption gains friction-free traction across international markets, Costco’s e-commerce ecosystem solidifies its position as an increasingly pivotal pillar of the company’s overall retail footprint.
How Costco Compares With Target and BJ’s Wholesale
Target Corporation’s TGT digital business showed solid momentum in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, with comparable digital sales rising 8.7%, led by more than 25% growth in same-day delivery. Target also reported more than 40% growth in Target+ marketplace GMV and Target Circle 360 membership revenues. Target is further investing in technology and personalization across digital channels, while external AI-platform traffic is growing at more than 3.5 times the industry rate.
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ posted strong digital momentum in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, with digitally enabled comparable sales up 30% and two-year stacked growth of 64%. BJ’s Wholesale said members are increasingly using buy-online-pickup-in-club, same-day delivery and ExpressPay, with digitally engaged members spending more and showing stronger loyalty. BJ’s Wholesale engages its digitally active members via innovative tools like its AI-powered shopping assistant, Bev.
What the Latest Metrics Say About Costco
Costco has seen its shares tumble 6.9% over the past three months compared with the industry’s decline of 8.8%.
From a valuation standpoint, Costco's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 40.72, higher than the industry’s ratio of 27.02. However, it is trading below its 12-month median level of 45.40, indicating some moderation in valuation.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 9.8% and 13.5%, respectively. For the next fiscal year, the consensus estimate indicates a 7.9% rise in sales and 10.1% growth in earnings.
Costco currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Costco's E-commerce Momentum Keeps Its Growth Engine Running

Costco Wholesale Corporation COST closed fiscal 2026 on a strong sales note, with fourth-quarter net sales rising 11.3% year over year to $93.9 billion from $84.4 billion. The increase highlights solid sales momentum over the 16-week quarter, while the company’s digitally enabled business remained a notable contributor to the overall pace of growth.
Comparable sales for the fourth quarter increased 9.4% companywide. The United States posted a 10.7% comparable-sales gain, while Canada and Other International rose 5% and 7%, respectively. Against that backdrop, digitally enabled comparable sales climbed a much faster 19.5%, showing that Costco’s online and digitally supported channels continued to expand at a stronger rate.
The digital trend remained similarly strong after excluding the effects of gasoline-price changes and foreign exchange. On that basis, total company comparable sales advanced 6.7% in the quarter, while digitally enabled comparable sales increased 19.8%. This wide gap underscores the strength of digital activity during the period.
The momentum was also visible in August, when digitally enabled comparable sales rose 17.9%. For the full 52-week fiscal year, the metric increased 20.9%, or 20.7% excluding gasoline and foreign-exchange impacts.
Costco’s fourth-quarter sales performance was marked by double-digit net sales growth and a digitally enabled business that continued to grow materially faster than companywide comparable sales throughout the reported period.
How Costco Compares With Target and BJ’s Wholesale
Target Corporation TGT also showed improving sales and digital momentum in second-quarter fiscal 2026. Target’s net sales rose 5.3% year over year to $ 26,539 million, while comparable sales increased 3.8%. Digital comparable sales advanced 8.7%, outpacing comparable store sales growth of 2.7%, with same-day delivery rising more than 25%. For Target, the results highlight how digital channels continued to supplement broader top-line growth during the quarter.
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ posted stronger digital growth in second-quarter fiscal 2026, alongside a sharp increase in overall sales. BJ’s Wholesale net sales climbed 15.9% year over year to $6,091 million, while comparable club sales, excluding gasoline, rose 3.1%. Digitally enabled comparable sales surged 30%, representing 64% growth on a two-year stacked basis. For BJ’s Wholesale, digital convenience remained a key driver, supported by pickup, same-day delivery and ExpressPay engagement.
What the Latest Metrics Say About Costco
Costco has seen its shares tumble 6% over the past three months compared with the industry’s decline of 3.6%.
From a valuation standpoint, Costco's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 40.71, higher than the industry’s ratio of 29.13. However, it is trading below its 12-month median level of 47.12, indicating some moderation in valuation.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 9.6% and 13.5%, respectively. For the next fiscal year, the consensus estimate indicates a 7.9% rise in sales and 10.2% growth in earnings.
Costco currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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Costco's Q4 Sales Rise 11.3% as Digital Momentum Remains Strong

Key Points
Dutch Bros' unique drinks and approach to business helped fuel a rapid expansion.
The pandemic changed BJ's Wholesale's financials, helping spur a westward move that has reached as far as Texas.
Cava Group is building a nationwide restaurant chain that drives sales from the increasingly popular Mediterranean food category.
One successful investment strategy that often receives little attention is regional-to-national expansion. Stocks like Walmart, Home Depot, and Starbucks launched IPOs when they were regional outfits. They later generated outsized returns for investors as they expanded nationally and, at times, beyond the U.S.
The good news for investors is that they can use this strategy with up-and-coming businesses likely to operate in all 50 states and possibly beyond. If one wants to benefit from such growth, these three stocks might be a good fit.
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1. Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros (NYSE: BROS) began as a coffeehouse in Grants Pass, Oregon. It stood out from Starbucks by operating as a coffee stand, which means it has lower overhead than coffeehouses like Starbucks. Also, Dutch Bros' innovative drinks and approach to service and community involvement have won over customers.
By the time it launched its IPO in 2021, it had grown to more than 470 locations in 11 states. It has expanded significantly since then, now boasting 1,225 shops across 25 U.S. states. Fortunately, it is likely not too late to capitalize on that growth. The company aims to grow to 2,029 locations by 2029 and believes it has a total addressable market of 7,000 shops in the U.S.
In the first half of 2026, revenue of just over $1.0 billion grew 32% year over year. The net income of almost $54 million surged 30% higher as the company invested in its expansion.
Moreover, the business keeps getting better, yet the multiple keeps shrinking. Now, it recently traded at a 72 P/E ratio. Also, it pulled back recently over growth concerns. Nonetheless, the pace of new shop development means its expansion should continue, and as its shop base grows, so should the stock price as Dutch Bros moves into new communities.
2. BJ's Wholesale
As a warehouse retailer, BJ's Wholesale (NYSE: BJ) has differentiated itself as a bulk seller by offering larger product sizes than grocery stores but smaller ones than other warehouse retailers. That approach can appeal to more customers, especially considering that families have become smaller over the years.
The stock has also become more attractive to investors. High debt levels and a regional concentration slowed its growth for decades. Its outlook changed in 2020, when the pandemic spurred enough growth to pay off most of its debt.
Now, the company, which was only on the Eastern seaboard, has expanded as far west as Texas, boasting 267 warehouses across 22 states. That expansion gives it a viable path for its footprint to continue marching westward.
In the first half of 2026, its revenue grew 13% year over year to $11.9 billion. Indeed, the rising cost of sales and investments in its expansion have slowed profit growth. With that, its net income of $317 million for the first two quarters of 2026 rose by only 5% year over year.
Furthermore, its P/E ratio of just 20 makes it a far better buy than rival Costco, which trades at 48 times earnings. Thus, as BJ's expansion continues, the retail stock can benefit not only from new stores but possibly from a higher valuation as the company becomes more of a national competitor.
3. Cava
Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) capitalized on the rising demand for healthy, fast casual options. It leads the way in Mediterranean cuisine, a style that has grown increasingly popular for its flavors and reputation as a healthy option. With less competition in this food category, Cava holds tremendous growth potential.
Its footprint has now expanded to about 450 locations across 29 states. The company set a goal of operating 1,000 restaurants by 2032, and one analyst estimates its total addressable market in the U.S. at more than 2,400, suggesting it may still be in the early innings of its expansion.
In the first half of fiscal 2026 (ended July 13), revenue of $807 million was up 32% compared with the same period in the previous fiscal year. This included a 9.4% gain in same-restaurant sales during the same period.
Also, while it kept operating expense increases in check, a one-time income tax benefit last year skewed year-over-year income growth, and net income of $47 million rose by only 6%.
The one caveat to buying this stock now is that many investors may balk at its 120 P/E ratio. Admittedly, that increases the risk of buying now, so interested investors should probably add shares slowly.
Nonetheless, investors could earn outsized returns over time by buying while the company's footprint is relatively small. As the company's expansion reaches its full potential, investors could see massive returns over the long term.
Should you buy stock in Dutch Bros right now?
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The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Dutch Bros wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
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Will Healy has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Cava Group, Costco Wholesale, Dutch Bros, Home Depot, Starbucks, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

3 Consumer Stocks Driving Growth From a Regional-to-National Expansion

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BJ's Wholesale Club (BJ) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ delivered second-quarter fiscal 2026 results, wherein both the top and bottom lines surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results reflected accelerating comparable sales, record membership growth and strong fuel performance. Management highlighted continued momentum across strategic priorities, including digital engagement, merchandise improvements and footprint growth. The company also raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook while maintaining its comparable club sales guidance.
BJ’s Second-Quarter Insights
BJ’s Wholesale reported adjusted earnings of $1.36 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16 by 17.2%. The bottom line increased 19.3% year over year, supported by strong operating performance and fuel profitability. This operator of membership warehouse clubs generated total revenues of $6,226.6 million, up 15.7% year over year ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5,883 million by 3.5%.
Net sales increased 15.9% to $6,091 million, while membership fee income climbed 9.9% to $135.6 million, supported by strong member acquisition, retention and higher-tier membership penetration across both new and existing clubs. The company reached a record 8.5 million members, highlighting continued engagement with its value-focused warehouse club model. We had expected membership fee income growth of 7%.
Total comparable club sales increased 11.9% year over year during the quarter, while comparable club sales excluding gasoline improved 3.1%, which came ahead of our estimate of 2.5%. The company benefited from balanced traffic and ticket growth, with management noting that traffic accelerated during the reported quarter. BJ’s also marked its 18th consecutive quarter of traffic growth and 15th consecutive quarter of market share gains.
Digitally enabled comparable sales continued to be a key growth driver, rising 30% year over year and reflecting a two-year stacked growth of 64%. The company continued to see strong engagement across digital offerings, including buy online, pick up in club, same-day delivery and ExpressPay. BJ’s also highlighted progress with its AI-powered shopping assistant, Bev, which has helped members find products, check club hours and improve their shopping experience.
Fuel performance also supported quarterly results. Management noted that comparable gasoline gallons increased 10.5%, with BJ’s continuing to gain share as industry fuel volumes declined during the period. Strong volume growth and favorable market conditions helped fuel profit exceed expectations.
A Look at BJ’s Margins
BJ’s Wholesale reported gross profit of $1.11 billion in the second quarter compared with $1.01 billion in the prior-year period. However, the merchandise gross margin rate, excluding gasoline sales and membership fee income, declined approximately 20 basis points year over year. The decline primarily reflected continued investments in pricing, partly offset by tariff refund benefits recognized during thequarter.
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $851.2 million from $786.4 million in the prior-year quarter, mainly due to higher labor, occupancy and operational costs related to new club and gas station openings. Increased depreciation expenses from a larger owned club base also contributed to the rise. These pressures were partly offset by a gain from a sale-leaseback transaction during the quarter.
Operating income increased 16.5% year over year to $252.4 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose 14.3% to $347.2 million.
BJ’s Expansion Strategy Gains Momentum
BJ’s Wholesale Club continued expanding its footprint during the quarter, opening three new clubs in Texas and one new gas station in Edison, NJ. The company ended the reported quarter with 267 clubs and 206 gas stations across 22 states.
Texas remains an important growth market for the company. Management said membership in Texas locations is tracking more than 30% ahead of plan, while customer engagement across categories and gas performance have been strong.
BJ’s expects to open seven additional clubs and complete one relocation during the remainder of fiscal 2026, while remaining committed to its long-term goal of opening 25-30 clubs in two years.
BJ’s Wholesale Financial Snapshot
BJ’s Wholesale Club ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $30 million, while total debt stood at $629.2 million. Stockholders’ equity totaled $2,197.4 million as of Aug. 1, 2026.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $401.5 million in the reported quarter. Adjusted free cash flow was $265.5 million. Capital expenditures, net of disposals, totaled $177.3 million during the quarter.
During the second quarter, BJ’s repurchased 1,384,278 shares for $124.1 million, inclusive of associated costs. About $422.1 million remained available under the company’s existing share repurchase authorization at quarter-end.
Here’s What BJ Guided
BJ’s Wholesale maintained its fiscal 2026 comparable club sales outlook, excluding gasoline sales, at 2-3% growth. However, the company raised its adjusted earnings per share guidance range to $4.60-$4.80 from the previous outlook of $4.40-$4.60, reflecting strong second-quarter performance, particularly from its fuel business. Capital expenditures are still expected to be approximately $800 million as BJ’s continues investing in new clubs and distribution capabilities.
Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have advanced 15.2% over the past three months compared with the industry’s 4% growth.
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BJ's Q2 Earnings Beat on Traffic & Membership Momentum, Outlook Raised

Shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (BJ) jumped 5.6% after the company reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $1.36 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16 per share.
Ross Stores, Inc.’s (ROST) gained 4.4% after the company reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $2.06 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.93 per share.
Shares of Flowers Foods, Inc. (FLO) declined 2.1% after the company reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $0.21 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.23 per share.
Broadcom Inc.’s (AVGO) shares gained 1.2% following a report that the company plans to raise more than $60 billion in debt to fund a deal supporting Anthropic.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Company News for Aug 24, 2026

Pre-market futures are filling in the gaps from yesterday’s modest selloff: the Dow is +312 points, the S&P 500 +35, the Nasdaq +201 and the small-cap Russell 2000 +23 points. Ten-year bond yields are back below +4.7% by a smidge, while the 2-year holds beneath +4.2%. Spot oil prices are steady, with WTI just below $87 per barrel (/bbl) and Brent crude just below $94/bbl.
These are narrow victories in the near term, but they matter to early birds trading in the pre-market. This goes especially for a Friday morning in August without any major economic or earnings reports to sift through. 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.
BJ’s Stores Beats Q2 Estimates
Ahead of the opening bell, and putting something of a cap on retail earnings results for the week, BJ’s Wholesale Club BJ posted easy beats on both top and bottom lines for its Q2 this morning. Earnings of $1.36 per share outpaced the Zacks consensus by two solid dimes, and improving from the $1.14 per share reported a year ago. Revenues of $6.09 billion improved over expectations by a robust +3.54%.
What to Expect from the Market Today
After today’s open, look for the August print on flash S&P Manufacturing and Services PMI. Both are expected to tick up from previous levels: to 54.0 on the Manufacturing side and +53.9 on Services. Both look safely in growth territory, above the 50 threshold.
Obviously, we will also remain in tune with developments in Iran regarding U.S. strategy, etc. Oil prices are now up over the past two weeks, so anything that sends prices the opposite direction would likely be welcomed by the stock market. Also, notable crypto gains this week have garnered some attention, triggered by the liquidity move from the U.S. Treasury on long-term bonds. Crypto investing had been rather dire ahead of this news, but cryptocurrencies are up double-digits this week.
What to Expect from the Market Next Week
Arguably the biggest earnings report of Q2 earnings season comes mid-week next week: Zacks Rank #2 (Buy)-rated NVIDIA NVDA — still the AI play among AI plays — reports quarterly results after the closing bell on Wednesday afternoon. Expectations are for still-impressive +99% earnings growth on +96.5% gains year over year in revenues. These, believe it or not, represent something of a cooling-down period on the bottom line (May earnings surged +140% year over year), as comps grow tougher to obliterate after several quarters of outsized gains.
Also Wednesday of next week, Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) for July are due for release. Last time around, this key inflation metric showed +3.7% year over year on headline, +3.3% on core. Clearly these are much warmer than the Fed’s +2% inflation target. Q2 GDP gets its second revision in the same batch of news items; investors look for an upward revision from the initial read of +1.5%.
Finally, the annual Jackson Hole symposium is scheduled for late next week. This year’s theme is “Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy.” Fed Chair Kevin Warsh is scheduled to deliver the keynote address, his first Jackson Hole summit since taking over as head of the Fed.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

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