BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• BJ's Restaurants shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $47.03 and ending near $46.86, reflecting strong recent momentum in the stock.
• Despite the rally, analysts remain mostly cautious: the stock carries an average Hold rating and a consensus price target of $42.00, with recent target changes ranging from $38 to $47.
• The company’s latest quarterly results were mixed, as revenue beat estimates but EPS missed expectations; insider activity was also split, with one director buying shares while an EVP sold stock.

Shares of BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $47.03 and last traded at $46.8550, with a volume of 152084 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $46.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on BJ's Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $42.00.

BJ's Restaurants Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $981.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $38.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ's Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The firm had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $356.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. BJ's Restaurants's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Restaurants

In other news, Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $35.10 per share, with a total value of $42,120.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 16,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $586,170. This represents a 7.74% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 3,200 shares of company stock worth $110,670 over the last three months. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ's Restaurants

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in BJ's Restaurants by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in BJ's Restaurants by 187.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its position in BJ's Restaurants by 6.3% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 7,879 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in BJ's Restaurants by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,904 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $469,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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