BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts hold a consensus “Hold” rating on BJ’s Restaurants, with two sell, six hold, and three buy recommendations. The average 12-month price target is $56.88, below the reported opening price of $60.13.
• BJ’s Restaurants exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 in EPS versus a $0.90 consensus estimate and $388.89 million in revenue versus $377.07 million expected. Revenue increased 6.4% year over year.
• Company insiders sold 67,784 shares worth approximately $4.65 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the stock.

Shares of BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.88.

BJRI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. DA Davidson set a $65.00 target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings cut BJ's Restaurants from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, September 18th. Mizuho set a $74.00 price target on BJ's Restaurants in a report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark upped their price target on BJ's Restaurants from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded BJ's Restaurants from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th.

BJ's Restaurants Stock Performance

BJ's Restaurants stock opened at $60.13 on Friday. BJ's Restaurants has a fifty-two week low of $28.46 and a fifty-two week high of $74.60. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $64.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.30.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. BJ's Restaurants had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The business had revenue of $388.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.97 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that BJ's Restaurants will post 2.37 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 25,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $1,710,364.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,135,600.78. This trade represents a 35.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 10,217 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.31, for a total transaction of $708,140.27. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 28,599 shares in the company, valued at $1,982,196.69. The trade was a 26.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 67,784 shares of company stock worth $4,648,326. Insiders own 2.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Restaurants

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in BJ's Restaurants in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in BJ's Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 5,341.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,047 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at about $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company's stock.

About BJ's Restaurants

BJ's Restaurants, Inc operates casual dining restaurants under the BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse brand. Its restaurants offer a broad menu that includes deep-dish and tavern-style pizzas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, pasta, entrees, desserts and other American-style cuisine.

The company is also known for its handcrafted beer program, which includes a range of house-brewed beers served alongside its food offerings. BJ's restaurants generally combine full-service dining with a casual, family-friendly atmosphere and operate in locations across the United States.

BJ's Restaurants traces its origins to 1978, when its first location opened in Southern California.

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