BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Price Target Cut to $47.00 by Analysts at Citigroup

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) had its target price trimmed by Citigroup from $49.00 to $47.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on BJRI. Barclays upped their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho cut their target price 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. DA Davidson started coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Benchmark upped their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Restaurants has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.88.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $37.30 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $790.76 million, a P/E ratio of 17.35, a PEG ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.32. BJ’s Restaurants has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $47.02. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $37.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $355.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.71 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. Analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.03, for a total value of $91,078.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,321.86. This represents a 33.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond purchased 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $35.10 per share, with a total value of $42,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 16,700 shares in the company, valued at $586,170. The trade was a 7.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders bought 3,200 shares of company stock valued at $110,670. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 31.4% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,750 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $799,000 after buying an additional 5,441 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 8.6% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,942,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 394.5% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 309,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,185,000 after buying an additional 246,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth approximately $211,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.