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

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $41.4286.

Several research analysts have issued reports on BJRI shares. Barclays increased their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Monday, October 27th. Mizuho set a $39.00 price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, October 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BJRI. Inspire Investing LLC acquired a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $842,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 6.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 824,597 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,777,000 after buying an additional 51,062 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 233.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 628,445 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,029,000 after buying an additional 440,078 shares during the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter worth $494,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 5.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 523,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $23,359,000 after buying an additional 25,892 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ BJRI opened at $44.26 on Monday. BJ’s Restaurants has a twelve month low of $28.46 and a twelve month high of $47.02. The firm has a market cap of $935.66 million, a PE ratio of 33.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $330.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $335.86 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 12.92% and a net margin of 2.23%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. Analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $75.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to purchase up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is 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.