BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Upgraded by William Blair to “Outperform” Rating

William Blair upgraded shares of BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

BJRI has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho dropped their price target on 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. Citigroup cut their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.25.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $67.49 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.71. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1 year low of $28.46 and a 1 year high of $68.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The company had revenue of $358.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $356.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants will post 2.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

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

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 73.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 324,588 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,393,000 after buying an additional 137,511 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 31.7% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 19,737 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 4,746 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 238.0% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,272 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $572,000 after purchasing an additional 11,458 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 107,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,761,000 after purchasing an additional 7,080 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 16,561 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $581,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about BJ’s Restaurants

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

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.