C Bradford Richmond Purchases 1,000 Shares of BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock

Key Points

• Director C. Bradford Richmond bought shares: He acquired 1,200 shares on March 3 at $35.10 and 1,000 shares on March 6 at $34.50, increasing his holdings to 17,700 shares (a 5.99% rise) valued at about $610,650 per the SEC filing.
• Earnings beat but cautious analyst view: BJ's reported $0.66 EPS versus $0.60 expected and $355.4M revenue (up 3.2% YoY), yet the stock traded down 1.8% to $35.18 and the consensus analyst rating is a "Hold" with a $42.38 price target.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) Director C Bradford Richmond bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $34.50 per share, with a total value of $34,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 17,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at $610,650. This represents a 5.99% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

C Bradford Richmond also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 3rd, C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,200 shares of BJ's Restaurants stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $35.10 per share, for a total transaction of $42,120.00.

BJ's Restaurants Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:BJRI traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.18. 648,308 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 359,800. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.30. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.46 and a 12 month high of $47.02. The company has a market cap of $745.82 million, a PE ratio of 16.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $41.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $36.94.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 previous year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ's Restaurants

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BJRI. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 187.7% during the 4th 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. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted 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 worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in BJ's Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in BJ's Restaurants by 18.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BJRI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays increased 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 report on Thursday, February 26th. Mizuho raised their target price on BJ's Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research report on Friday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $42.38.

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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