William Blair Upgrades BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) to Outperform

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) was upgraded by equities researchers at William Blair from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on BJRI. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup lowered 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. Benchmark lifted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho reduced their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $44.25.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $67.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.31. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.71. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.31. BJ’s Restaurants has a 52-week low of $28.46 and a 52-week high of $68.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.48% and a net margin of 3.15%.The company had revenue of $358.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 6,201 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.86, for a total value of $346,387.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,596,037.64. The trade was a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 7,341 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.17, for a total value of $405,002.97. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,721 shares in the company, valued at $260,457.57. This represents a 60.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 63,817 shares of company stock valued at $3,384,688 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,904 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants News Roundup

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

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.