BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock Price Up 7% Following Analyst Upgrade

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) shares traded up 7% on Friday after William Blair upgraded the stock from a market perform rating to an outperform rating. The company traded as high as $65.52 and last traded at $66.85. Approximately 175,849 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 56% from the average session volume of 395,802 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.47.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on BJRI. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Benchmark boosted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays dropped their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Noah A. Elbogen sold 4,652 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $251,208.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 76,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,116,690. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 19,261 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.60, for a total transaction of $1,070,911.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 28,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,590,104.40. This represents a 40.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 63,817 shares of company stock worth $3,384,688. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key BJ’s Restaurants News

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $51.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $356.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

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.