BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.4286.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, October 31st.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Restaurants

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total value of $317,553.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,640.49. This represents a 64.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,362,763 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $102,665,000 after purchasing an additional 640,648 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 576.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,326,000 after buying an additional 1,237,383 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 48.8% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 935,375 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,557,000 after buying an additional 306,930 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 7.6% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 886,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $27,078,000 after acquiring an additional 62,321 shares during the period. Finally, Emerald Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 2.6% in the second quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 593,478 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,469,000 after acquiring an additional 15,151 shares during the period. 99.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Down 2.7%

BJ’s Restaurants stock opened at $44.26 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $935.66 million, a PE ratio of 33.03, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.28. BJ’s Restaurants has a fifty-two week low of $28.46 and a fifty-two week high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $330.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $335.86 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 2.23%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

BJ’s Restaurants declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $75.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to purchase up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About BJ’s Restaurants

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc is a publicly traded casual dining chain known for its deep‐dish pizzas, California‐style thin crust offerings and in‐house craft beer selections. Operating under the BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse brand, the company combines a microbrewery concept with full‐service dining, offering an extensive menu that includes appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, sandwiches and the signature Pizookie dessert.

Founded in 1978 in Orange County, California, BJ’s Restaurants began as BJ’s Chicago Pizzeria, bringing a Chicago‐style pizza experience to the West Coast.