BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give BJ's Restaurants a consensus rating of "Hold" from 10 brokerages (2 sell, 6 hold, 2 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of about $41.88.
• Notable insider activity: EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares (reducing his stake ~33.9%), while Director C. Bradford Richmond bought 1,000 shares; insiders net bought 3,200 shares this quarter and collectively own about 4.90% of the company.
• BJ's recently reported an earnings beat with $0.66 EPS vs. $0.60 expected and revenue of $355.4M (up 3.2% year‑over‑year), while the stock trades in a 12‑month range of $28.46–$47.02 and has a market cap near $784M.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the ten brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.8750.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.03, for a total transaction of $91,078.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,062 shares in the company, valued at $177,321.86. This represents a 33.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $34.05 per share, for a total transaction of $34,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $636,735. The trade was a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 3,200 shares of company stock worth $110,670. Corporate insiders own 4.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Restaurants

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BJRI. CWM LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in BJ's Restaurants by 1,618.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in BJ's Restaurants by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in BJ's Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in BJ's Restaurants by 14.5% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BJ's Restaurants Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ BJRI opened at $37.31 on Wednesday. BJ's Restaurants has a 12 month low of $28.46 and a 12 month high of $47.02. The stock has a market cap of $784.26 million, a P/E ratio of 17.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.32. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $37.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. BJ's Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $353.71 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that BJ's Restaurants will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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