Insider Selling: BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Sells 2,978 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• BJ’s Restaurants EVP Kendra Miller sold 2,978 shares at an average price of $69.80, generating approximately $207,864. After the transaction, she retained 25,621 shares, a 10.41% reduction in her ownership.
• BJRI shares traded around $69.55, near their 52-week high of $74.60, after rising well above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company has a $1.48 billion market capitalization and a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.19.
• The restaurant operator exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.94 EPS versus a $0.90 estimate and $388.89 million in revenue versus $377.07 million expected. Analysts’ consensus rating remains Hold, with an average price target of $56.88, despite some recent upgrades.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) EVP Kendra Miller sold 2,978 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.80, for a total transaction of $207,864.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,621 shares in the company, valued at $1,788,345.80. The trade was a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

BJ's Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of BJ's Restaurants stock traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $69.55. The company had a trading volume of 436,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 419,701. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.28. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $74.60.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $388.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.07 million. BJ's Restaurants had a return on equity of 12.93% and a net margin of 2.86%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on BJRI shares. Mizuho set a $74.00 price target on BJ's Restaurants in a report on Friday, July 31st. Benchmark boosted their price objective on BJ's Restaurants from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $65.00 price target on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ's Restaurants

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in BJ's Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in BJ's Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. US Bancorp DE grew its position in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 14.5% during the 3rd 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 period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 77.5% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,317 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $103,000 after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the period. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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