BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $38.75.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BJRI shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho raised shares of BJ’s Restaurants to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $39.40 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $37.05 and a 200 day moving average of $36.44. The company has a market cap of $832.92 million, a PE ratio of 29.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.31. BJ’s Restaurants has a 12-month low of $28.46 and a 12-month high of $47.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by $0.05. The business had revenue of $330.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $335.86 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.13) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

BJ’s Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $75.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 11.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total transaction of $317,553.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,409 shares in the company, valued at $174,640.49. This trade represents a 64.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new position in BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter valued at $842,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 6.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 824,597 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,777,000 after acquiring an additional 51,062 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 233.6% during the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 628,445 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,029,000 after acquiring an additional 440,078 shares during the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management purchased a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants during the second quarter valued at approximately $494,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 5.2% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 523,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $23,359,000 after purchasing an additional 25,892 shares during the period. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.