BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $71.21 and last traded at $70.5810, with a volume of 43521 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $68.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BJRI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective 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. Barclays dropped 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 report on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho set a $60.00 target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, William Blair raised BJ’s Restaurants from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.38.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $55.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.31.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.48% and a net margin of 3.15%.The business had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 7,341 shares of the company’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 transaction of $405,002.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,721 shares in the company, valued at $260,457.57. This represents a 60.86% 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. Also, EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 19,261 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.60, for a total value of $1,070,911.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 28,599 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,590,104.40. The trade was a 40.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 63,817 shares of company stock worth $3,384,688. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJRI. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in 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 valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,904 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 8.6% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the period. 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.