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

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nine research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.4286.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on BJRI shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Tuesday, January 20th.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $40.32 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $41.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.48. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $47.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $852.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.09, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.33.

BJ’s Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $75.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total transaction of $317,553.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BJRI. HRT Financial LP raised its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 77.0% in the fourth quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 26,734 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,053,000 after acquiring an additional 11,632 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,313,000. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at $256,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,084,001 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $42,709,000 after purchasing an additional 23,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth $3,942,000. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.