BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $62.00

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Nine analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating, with one sell, five hold, and three buy recommendations. Their average 12-month price target is $62, compared with a recent share price of $55.77.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: BJ’s reported EPS of $0.33 versus the $0.17 consensus and revenue of $358.63 million versus expectations of $346.68 million. Revenue rose 8.6% year over year.
• Institutional ownership stands at 99.95%, and several funds increased their holdings in the third quarter; director C. Richmond also purchased 753 shares.

Shares of BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $62.00.

BJRI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 15th. Mizuho raised BJ's Restaurants from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $74.00 to $76.00 in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $65.00 target price on BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

BJ's Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:BJRI traded up $0.88 on Friday, reaching $55.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 636,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 564,219. The stock's 50-day moving average is $59.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.62. BJ's Restaurants has a 52-week low of $33.36 and a 52-week high of $74.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.26 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.46.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.16. BJ's Restaurants had a return on equity of 14.17% and a net margin of 3.13%. The firm had revenue of $358.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $346.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.04 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BJ's Restaurants will post 2.38 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ's Restaurants

In related news, Director C Richmond acquired 753 shares of BJ's Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $47,627.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 35,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,245,375. This trade represents a 2.17% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJRI. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $315,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 60.2% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 822,730 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,134,000 after buying an additional 309,303 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 5.9% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 102,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,885,000 after buying an additional 5,716 shares in the last quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its position in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 23.0% in the third quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 133,779 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $7,664,000 after buying an additional 25,011 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 84.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 232,250 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $13,305,000 after buying an additional 106,054 shares during the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BJ's Restaurants Company Profile

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. operates casual-dining restaurants under the BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse name. The company traces its roots to 1978, when it began as BJ's Chicago Pizzeria in California. Its menu includes deep-dish and other pizzas, burgers, salads, pasta, ribs, appetizers and desserts, including its signature Pizookie. Restaurants also offer a selection of handcrafted beers alongside other beverages. BJ's serves guests through restaurants in multiple U.S. states, with locations combining a broad food menu and beer offerings in a casual dining setting.

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