BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• BJ's shares crossed above its 200-day moving average; the 200‑day MA is $37.94, the stock traded as high as $39.12 and last traded at $38.31 on volume of 185,740 shares.
• Analyst consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $41.88 (10 analysts: 2 Buy, 6 Hold, 2 Sell), and recent target revisions have ranged roughly $40–$48.
• The company recently beat quarterly estimates with $0.66 EPS vs. $0.60 expected and $355.4M revenue vs. $353.7M, and it has a market cap of about $812M, a P/E of 17.8, and roughly 99.95% institutional ownership.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.94 and traded as high as $39.12. BJ's Restaurants shares last traded at $38.31, with a volume of 185,740 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered their price target on BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup cut 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. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BJ's Restaurants has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $41.88.

BJ's Restaurants Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $812.17 million, a P/E ratio of 17.82, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.32. The company's 50 day moving average price is $37.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.94.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Restaurants

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.03, for a total transaction of $91,078.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,062 shares in the company, valued at $177,321.86. The trade was a 33.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond purchased 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $34.05 per share, for a total transaction of $34,050.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 18,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $636,735. This trade represents a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 3,200 shares of company stock valued at $110,670 over the last three months. Insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of BJ's Restaurants

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 576.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $44,326,000 after buying an additional 1,237,383 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 23.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,362,763 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $102,665,000 after purchasing an additional 640,648 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 48.8% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 935,375 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,557,000 after purchasing an additional 306,930 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the second quarter worth $13,380,000. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in BJ's Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $10,863,000. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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