BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the ten research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.3750.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson assumed coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lifted 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. Benchmark upped their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock opened at $36.11 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.98. BJ’s Restaurants has a 12 month low of $28.46 and a 12 month high of $47.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $765.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.32. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.71 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 13.82%. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, Director C Bradford Richmond bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $34.50 per share, with a total value of $34,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 17,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $610,650. The trade was a 5.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total transaction of $317,553.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $174,640.49. This represents a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 4.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 576.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,326,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237,383 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 23.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,362,763 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,665,000 after purchasing an additional 640,648 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 233.6% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 628,445 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,029,000 after purchasing an additional 440,078 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,380,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at about $10,863,000. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.