BJ's Restaurants, Inc. $BJRI Shares Acquired by WINTON GROUP Ltd

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd more than doubled its position in BJ's Restaurants during the fourth quarter, increasing its stake by 114.7% to 74,958 shares worth about $2.95 million.
• BJ's Restaurants reported mixed quarterly results: earnings of $0.57 per share missed estimates, while revenue of $358.12 million slightly beat expectations and rose 2.9% year over year.
• Wall Street remains cautious on the stock, with analysts assigning an overall Hold rating and a consensus price target of $42, though Benchmark recently raised its target to $50 and kept a Buy rating.

WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its stake in BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Free Report) by 114.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,958 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 40,037 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.35% of BJ's Restaurants worth $2,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of BJRI. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 187.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 14.5% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 77.5% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,317 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BJ's Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of BJRI opened at $43.04 on Monday. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $47.99. The stock has a market cap of $904.70 million, a PE ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $40.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $39.93.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ's Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.48% and a net margin of 3.15%.The firm had revenue of $358.12 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $356.97 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Restaurants

In other news, Director C Bradford Richmond bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $34.05 per share, for a total transaction of $34,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $636,735. This trade represents a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 3,475 shares of BJ's Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.71, for a total value of $162,317.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,721 shares in the company, valued at $220,517.91. This trade represents a 42.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,124 shares of company stock worth $447,140. Corporate insiders own 4.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark increased their price objective on BJ's Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup dropped their target price on BJ's Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on BJ's Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on BJ's Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on BJ's Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $42.00.

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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