BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Director Purchases $42,120.00 in Stock

Key Points

• C. Bradford Richmond bought 1,200 shares at $35.10 on March 3 for $42,120, increasing his stake to 16,700 shares (a 7.74% rise) now valued at about $586,170.
• BJ's beat expectations for the quarter with $0.66 EPS vs. $0.60 expected and $355.4M revenue (up 3.2% YoY); the stock traded up 1.9% to $35.83, with a market cap of $759.6M and a PE of 16.7.
• Investor sentiment is mixed but institutionally concentrated: institutional investors own 99.95% of shares, analysts' consensus rating is "Hold" with a $43 average price target (2 Buy, 5 Hold, 2 Sell), and several firms recently raised targets.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) Director C Bradford Richmond purchased 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $35.10 per share, for a total transaction of $42,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 16,700 shares in the company, valued at $586,170. This trade represents a 7.74% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

BJ's Restaurants Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of BJ's Restaurants stock traded up $0.67 on Thursday, hitting $35.83. 446,944 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 353,092. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $41.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.95. The company has a market cap of $759.60 million, a PE ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.32. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.46 and a 52 week high of $47.02.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.71 million. BJ's Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Restaurants

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJRI. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in BJ's Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,942,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 394.5% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 309,269 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $12,185,000 after buying an additional 246,733 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth $10,863,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,912,000. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on BJRI. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Benchmark raised their price target on BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded BJ's Restaurants from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, BJ's Restaurants has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $43.00.

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.

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