SG Americas Securities LLC Makes New $456,000 Investment in BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. $BJRI

SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,934 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $456,000. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.07% of BJ’s Restaurants as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 18.0% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 77.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in BJ’s Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth about $120,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 356.5% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,492 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 2,727 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $214,000. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

BJRI opened at $43.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $910.71 million, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $40.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.24. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.46 and a 52-week high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.05. The company had revenue of $330.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.86 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 12.92%. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.13) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $75.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,409 shares in the company, valued at $174,640.49. This trade represents a 64.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on BJRI shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research lowered BJ’s Restaurants from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho set a $39.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $41.43.

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.