William Blair Expects Stronger Earnings for BJ's Restaurants

Key Points

• William Blair analysts have raised their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for BJ's Restaurants from $1.96 to $2.22, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.50 per share.
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $0.97, surpassing analysts' expectations by $0.28 and marking a 4.5% revenue increase year-over-year.
• Several analysts have adjusted their ratings on BJ's Restaurants, with one firm changing its rating from "buy" to "hold", reflecting a mixed sentiment among investors.

BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at William Blair upped their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for BJ's Restaurants in a research note issued on Thursday, July 31st. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings per share of $2.22 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $1.96. The consensus estimate for BJ's Restaurants' current full-year earnings is $1.50 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for BJ's Restaurants' Q4 2025 earnings at $0.70 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered BJ's Restaurants from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on BJ's Restaurants from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Benchmark raised shares of BJ's Restaurants from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $44.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday. Barclays raised their price target on BJ's Restaurants from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $33.00 price objective on BJ's Restaurants and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $39.67.

BJ's Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of BJRI stock traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $33.99. 198,998 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 430,836. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $751.95 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.59. The stock's 50-day moving average is $42.21 and its 200-day moving average is $38.11. BJ's Restaurants has a 52 week low of $27.61 and a 52 week high of $47.02.

BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $365.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $362.74 million. BJ's Restaurants had a net margin of 1.99% and a return on equity of 11.73%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.72 EPS.

Institutional Trading of BJ's Restaurants

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in BJ's Restaurants in the first quarter worth about $254,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 3,594.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 13,670 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 13,300 shares in the last quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in BJ's Restaurants in the first quarter worth $1,350,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in BJ's Restaurants by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,076 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 5,722 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 45.4% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 243,267 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $8,547,000 after purchasing an additional 75,936 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at BJ's Restaurants

In other BJ's Restaurants news, insider Brian S. Krakower sold 3,738 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.32, for a total value of $165,668.16. Following the sale, the insider owned 4,579 shares in the company, valued at $202,941.28. This trade represents a 44.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Greg Trojan sold 146,102 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.63, for a total value of $6,520,532.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 19,896 shares of the company's stock, valued at $887,958.48. This represents a 88.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

BJ's Restaurants Company Profile

BJ's Restaurants, Inc owns and operates casual dining restaurants in the United States. Its restaurants offer pizzas, craft and other beers, appetizers, entrées, pastas, sandwiches, specialty salads, and desserts under brand name Pizookie. The company was formerly known as Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc and changed its name to BJ's Restaurants, Inc in August 2004.