Analysts Set BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Price Target at $38.75

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.75.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Mizuho upgraded BJ’s Restaurants to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total transaction of $317,553.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $174,640.49. This represents a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BJRI. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% in the 3rd 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 period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 18.0% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in 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. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in BJ’s Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at $120,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $41.22 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $871.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a 50 day moving average of $36.59 and a 200 day moving average of $36.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.30. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $330.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.86 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.13) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $75.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to buy up to 11.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.