Noah Elbogen Sells 4,652 Shares of BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Director Noah Elbogen sold 4,652 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $251,208.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 76,235 shares in the company, valued at $4,116,690. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

BJ’s Restaurants stock traded up $0.17 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $54.72. 1,234,754 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 400,834. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 27.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $56.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.04.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $358.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BJRI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 15.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,274,000 after purchasing an additional 5,013 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the 1st quarter valued at about $291,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 29.7% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 17,662 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 4,045 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 291,957 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $13,021,000 after buying an additional 53,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 71,617 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,194,000 after buying an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

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.