BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Price Target Raised to $49.00 at Citigroup

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) had its price target increased by Citigroup from $45.00 to $49.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

BJRI has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark boosted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.00.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Down 2.1%

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $40.03 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $846.23 million, a P/E ratio of 18.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a fifty day moving average of $42.28 and a 200 day moving average of $36.89. BJ’s Restaurants has a 52 week low of $28.46 and a 52 week high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.77% and a net margin of 3.49%.The firm had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.71 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

BJ’s Restaurants announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $75.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to purchase up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,409 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,640.49. The trade was a 64.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJRI. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at $3,942,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 394.5% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 309,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,185,000 after buying an additional 246,733 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at about $211,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $10,863,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth about $5,912,000. 99.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BJ’s Restaurants News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting BJ’s Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — BJRI reported $0.66 EPS vs. $0.60 consensus and revenue of $355.4M (up 3.2% YoY), showing outperformance on both EPS and revenue. This is the primary near‑term bullish catalyst. MarketBeat Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its price target to $48 and reiterated a “buy” rating — a clear vote of confidence that implies ~20% upside from current levels. TickerReport: Benchmark
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup lifted its target to $49 (now “neutral”), signaling more upside in analyst models even if the rating is not bullish. Benzinga: Citigroup
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and commentary: recent roundup and analysis pieces (Seeking Alpha, Zacks) highlight the beat and key metrics but note limited margin expansion — useful for fundamentals follow‑up rather than an immediate price driver. Seeking Alpha Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notices in the filings show zero or inconclusive changes (reports include 0 shares/NaN), so short activity is not an identifiable driver this cycle.
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays raised its target to $42 but kept an “underweight” stance — that preserves a major firm’s skeptical view and may cap upside while encouraging cautious positioning. Benzinga: Barclays

BJ’s Restaurants Company Profile

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.