BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Upgraded at William Blair

William Blair upgraded shares of BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on BJRI. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BJ’s Restaurants has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $44.25.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

BJ’s Restaurants stock opened at $67.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.09, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a 50-day moving average of $51.54 and a 200-day moving average of $43.73. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1 year low of $28.46 and a 1 year high of $68.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly 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). BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The firm had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $356.97 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 7,341 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.17, for a total value of $405,002.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,721 shares in the company, valued at approximately $260,457.57. The trade was a 60.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CMO Heidi Rogers sold 3,090 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.21, for a total value of $164,418.90. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 9,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $492,990.65. The trade was a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 63,817 shares of company stock worth $3,384,688 in the last three months. 2.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BJRI. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake 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 last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,904 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

More BJ’s Restaurants News

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

• Positive Sentiment: William Blair upgraded BJ’s Restaurants to outperform from market perform, signaling improved expectations for the company. Article: William Blair Upgrades BJ’s Restaurants (BJRI) to Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Benchmark lifted its price target on BJRI to $68 from $50 and maintained a buy rating, suggesting limited near-term upside but validating the stock’s recent strength. Article: Benchmark Raises Price Target on BJ’s Restaurants (BJRI)
• Neutral Sentiment: BJ’s Restaurants announced it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 30 after the market close and host a conference call the same day, which keeps investors focused on upcoming results. Article: BJ’s Restaurants Announces Date for Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Release and Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha article discussed BJ’s Restaurants remaining attractive even after its recent run-up, reflecting ongoing market interest in the stock’s valuation and momentum. Article: BJ’s Restaurants Remains Tasty Even After Heating Up

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.