Insider Selling: BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Sells $1,710,364.50 in Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Gregory Lynds sold 25,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $1,710,364.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 46,474 shares in the company, valued at $3,135,600.78. This trade represents a 35.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Down 0.5%

BJRI opened at $69.55 on Friday. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a twelve month low of $28.46 and a twelve month high of $74.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $59.01 and a 200-day moving average of $46.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 37.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.32.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $388.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.07 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 12.93%. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.97 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.35 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on BJRI. Zacks Research raised BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. DA Davidson set a $65.00 price target on BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho set a $74.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BJ’s Restaurants has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.88.

Trending Headlines about BJ’s Restaurants

Here are the key news stories impacting BJ’s Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst actions remain supportive. Benchmark raised its price target from $68 to $80 and upgraded the stock to “Buy,” while William Blair moved BJRI to “Outperform.” Zacks also identified BJRI as a highly ranked value stock and included it among stocks benefiting from recent broker upgrades. Zacks value stock article Zacks broker upgrades article
• Positive Sentiment: The latest quarterly results exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $0.94 versus the $0.90 consensus estimate, while revenue of $388.9 million surpassed forecasts of $377.1 million and increased 6.4% year over year. These results provide fundamental support for BJRI, although EPS was below $0.97 in the prior-year quarter.
• Positive Sentiment: Several institutions increased their BJRI holdings during the first quarter, including Bank of America, which raised its position by 73.5%, and Royal Bank of Canada, which increased its stake by 238%. Institutional investors own approximately 99.95% of the shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains cautious overall. BJRI has an average “Hold” recommendation, with five Holds and two Sells compared with four Buy or Strong Buy ratings. The consensus price target is $56.88, below recent trading levels, although individual targets range as high as $80. Average Hold recommendation article
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders have sold heavily as the stock trades near its 52-week high. EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 21,704 shares on August 6 after selling 25,350 shares on August 3, reducing his holdings by 46.7% in the latest transaction. EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 10,217 shares on August 6 and another 2,978 shares on August 7, cutting her position by 10.4% in the latest sale. The transactions totaled roughly $4.1 million and may reinforce profit-taking concerns.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJRI. CWM LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth $63,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 77.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 5,341.1% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,047 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares during the period. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.