BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• The stock briefly moved above its 200-day moving average (200‑day MA $37.61; intraday high $37.70) but last traded at $36.90 on volume of 330,311, suggesting only a short-lived technical breakout.
• Analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $42.13; recent analyst actions were mixed (e.g., Mizuho cut its target to $40, Citigroup raised theirs to $49, Barclays nudged theirs to $42), and the street breakdown is 2 Buys / 6 Holds / 2 Sells.
• Fundamentals show a modest beat—Q4 EPS $0.66 vs. $0.60 estimate and revenue $355.4M—and insider activity is mixed (EVP sold 2,600 shares while a director bought 1,000), with insiders owning about 4.90% of the stock.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $37.61 and traded as high as $37.70. BJ's Restaurants shares last traded at $36.90, with a volume of 330,311 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BJRI. Mizuho reduced 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 research report on Thursday, April 2nd. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays raised 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BJ's Restaurants has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $42.13.

BJ's Restaurants Stock Down 1.3%

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $38.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.61. The firm has a market cap of $782.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $355.40 million during 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 company's revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at BJ's Restaurants

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of BJ's Restaurants 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $34.05 per share, for a total transaction of $34,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 3,200 shares of company stock valued at $110,670. 4.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC grew its stake 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in BJ's Restaurants by 39.3% in the fourth 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. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in BJ's Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in BJ's Restaurants by 14.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company's stock.

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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