Zacks Research Has Strong Forecast for BJRI FY2026 Earnings

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $2.30 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $2.19. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for BJ’s Restaurants’ current full-year earnings is $2.35 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for BJ’s Restaurants’ Q4 2026 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.66 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.02 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.69 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.59 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $1.13 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.80 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair upgraded shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, August 7th. DA Davidson set a $65.00 price target on BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $56.88.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of BJRI opened at $66.67 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $60.91 and a 200-day moving average of $47.14. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.29. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1 year low of $28.46 and a 1 year high of $74.60.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $388.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.07 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 2.86%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.97 earnings per share.

Insider Activity at BJ’s Restaurants

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 19,261 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 28,599 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,590,104.40. The trade was a 40.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 7,341 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.17, for a total transaction of $405,002.97. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,721 shares in the company, valued at $260,457.57. This trade represents a 60.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 131,601 shares of company stock worth $8,033,014 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,904 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 8.6% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting BJ’s Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several earnings forecasts and maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating. Estimates increased for FY2026 EPS to $2.30 from $2.19, FY2027 EPS to $2.59 from $2.47, and FY2028 EPS to $2.80 from $2.68. Quarterly estimates were also raised for Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027 and Q2 2028, suggesting improving expectations for BJRI’s longer-term profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: The restaurant industry continues to show steady sales growth, with value-oriented dining and chain adaptations supporting demand. BJRI was included among restaurant stocks highlighted by Zacks as potential buys. 4 Stocks to Buy as Restaurant Industry Continues to Make Steady Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest estimate changes were mixed: Zacks lowered its Q4 2026 EPS forecast to $0.63 from $0.65 and Q4 2027 EPS to $0.69 from $0.70. However, the increases in full-year and several other quarterly forecasts outweigh these modest reductions.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Noah Elbogen sold 7,535 shares for approximately $528,505, reducing his direct ownership by 9.52%. He still retains 71,655 shares, so the transaction may reflect personal liquidity rather than a broad change in insider confidence, but it adds some selling pressure. Noah Elbogen Sells 7,535 Shares of BJ’s Restaurants Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation appears demanding: BJRI trades at roughly 36 times earnings and its consensus analyst rating remains “Hold,” with an average price target below the current trading range. This raises the risk of profit-taking if future results fail to justify the elevated multiple.

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.