Key Points
- EVP Kendra Miller sold 10,217 BJ’s Restaurants shares at an average price of $69.31, generating approximately $708,140 and reducing her ownership by 26.32%.
- BJ’s Restaurants exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.94 versus $0.90 expected and revenue of $388.9 million, up 6.4% year over year.
- Despite recent positive analyst actions and institutional ownership of 99.95%, overall sentiment remains cautious: the consensus rating is “Hold,” with a $56.88 price target below the stock’s recent trading level.
BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) EVP Kendra Miller sold 2,978 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.80, for a total value of $207,864.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,621 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,788,345.80. This trade represents a 10.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
BJ's Restaurants Price Performance
NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $69.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.25. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $74.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $59.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.19, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.32.
BJ's Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.04. BJ's Restaurants had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 12.93%. The company had revenue of $388.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.97 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that BJ's Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.
BJ's Restaurants News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting BJ's Restaurants this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst actions remain supportive. Benchmark raised its price target from $68 to $80 and upgraded the stock to “Buy,” while William Blair moved BJRI to “Outperform.” Zacks also identified BJRI as a highly ranked value stock and included it among stocks benefiting from recent broker upgrades. Zacks value stock article Zacks broker upgrades article
- Positive Sentiment: The latest quarterly results exceeded expectations: earnings per share were $0.94 versus the $0.90 consensus estimate, while revenue of $388.9 million surpassed forecasts of $377.1 million and increased 6.4% year over year. These results provide fundamental support for BJRI, although EPS was below $0.97 in the prior-year quarter.
- Positive Sentiment: Several institutions increased their BJRI holdings during the first quarter, including Bank of America, which raised its position by 73.5%, and Royal Bank of Canada, which increased its stake by 238%. Institutional investors own approximately 99.95% of the shares.
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains cautious overall. BJRI has an average “Hold” recommendation, with five Holds and two Sells compared with four Buy or Strong Buy ratings. The consensus price target is $56.88, below recent trading levels, although individual targets range as high as $80. Average Hold recommendation article
- Negative Sentiment: Insiders have sold heavily as the stock trades near its 52-week high. EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 21,704 shares on August 6 after selling 25,350 shares on August 3, reducing his holdings by 46.7% in the latest transaction. EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 10,217 shares on August 6 and another 2,978 shares on August 7, cutting her position by 10.4% in the latest sale. The transactions totaled roughly $4.1 million and may reinforce profit-taking concerns.
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. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 187.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BJ's Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of BJ's Restaurants by 5,341.1% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,047 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.95% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
BJRI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho set a $74.00 target price on shares of BJ's Restaurants in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barclays lowered their price objective on BJ's Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, William Blair upgraded BJ's Restaurants from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, BJ's Restaurants currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.88.
View Our Latest Research Report on BJ's Restaurants
BJ's Restaurants Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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