BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Receives $56.88 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.8750.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BJRI shares. DA Davidson set a $65.00 target price on BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark raised their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. William Blair upgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Citigroup boosted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Down 3.1%

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $58.82 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $49.46. 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 fifty-two week low of $28.46 and a fifty-two week high of $74.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.30.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $388.89 million during 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 was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.97 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants will post 2.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at BJ’s Restaurants

In related news, Director C Richmond acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $61.05 per share, for a total transaction of $30,525.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 36,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,228,325. This represents a 1.39% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 21,704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.81, for a total transaction of $1,493,452.24. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,770 shares in the company, valued at $1,704,423.70. This trade represents a 46.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 124,077 shares of company stock worth $7,676,952 in the last 90 days. 2.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CWM LLC increased its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter worth $28,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the period. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

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.