BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Receives $41.43 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $41.4286.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $30.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Down 1.6%

NASDAQ BJRI opened at $43.08 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $910.71 million, a P/E ratio of 32.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.28. BJ’s Restaurants has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.05. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The company had revenue of $330.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.86 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.13) EPS. BJ’s Restaurants’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that allows the company to repurchase $75.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total value of $317,553.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $174,640.49. This trade represents a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 971 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 18.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 77.5% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

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.