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

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $42.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BJRI. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

BJRI stock opened at $52.40 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $42.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.68. BJ’s Restaurants has a 12-month low of $28.46 and a 12-month high of $54.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.46, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The firm had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $356.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at BJ’s Restaurants

In related news, EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 5,537 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.76, for a total transaction of $281,058.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,474 shares in the company, valued at $2,359,020.24. The trade was a 10.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 7,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.56, for a total transaction of $360,266.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 28,599 shares in the company, valued at $1,388,767.44. This represents a 20.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 23,570 shares of company stock valued at $1,161,806 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 23.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,362,763 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,665,000 after purchasing an additional 640,648 shares during the period. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 576.9% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,326,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,383 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 2.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,114,685 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $39,125,000 after purchasing an additional 30,684 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew 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 worth $28,557,000 after purchasing an additional 306,930 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 62,321 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

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.