BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Trading 7% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI)’s share price rose 7% during trading on Friday after William Blair upgraded the stock from a market perform rating to an outperform rating. The company traded as high as $65.52 and last traded at $66.85. 175,849 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 395,802 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.47.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Mizuho decreased their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup cut their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.25.

Insider Activity at BJ’s Restaurants

In related news, Director Noah A. Elbogen sold 4,652 shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $251,208.00. Following the sale, the director owned 76,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,690. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Heidi Rogers sold 3,090 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.21, for a total value of $164,418.90. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 9,265 shares in the company, valued at $492,990.65. The trade was a 25.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 63,817 shares of company stock worth $3,384,688. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting BJ’s Restaurants

Here are the key news stories impacting BJ’s Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: William Blair upgraded BJ’s Restaurants to outperform from market perform, signaling improved expectations for the company. Article: William Blair Upgrades BJ’s Restaurants (BJRI) to Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark lifted its price target on BJRI to $68 from $50 and maintained a buy rating, suggesting limited near-term upside but validating the stock’s recent strength. Article: Benchmark Raises Price Target on BJ’s Restaurants (BJRI)
• Neutral Sentiment: BJ’s Restaurants announced it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30 after the market close and host a conference call the same day, which keeps investors focused on upcoming results. Article: BJ’s Restaurants Announces Date for Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha article discussed BJ’s Restaurants remaining attractive even after its recent run-up, reflecting ongoing market interest in the stock’s valuation and momentum. Article: BJ’s Restaurants Remains Tasty Even After Heating Up

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BJRI. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 8.0%

The stock has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.71.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants Company Profile

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.