Brian Krakower Sells 2,600 Shares of BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Brian Krakower sold 2,600 shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.03, for a total value of $91,078.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,062 shares in the company, valued at $177,321.86. This trade represents a 33.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock opened at $35.14 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $744.86 million, a PE ratio of 16.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.98. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $47.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.40.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.71 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.47 EPS. Research analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 23.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,362,763 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,665,000 after buying an additional 640,648 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 576.9% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,326,000 after buying an additional 1,237,383 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,084,001 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $42,709,000 after buying an additional 23,513 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 48.8% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 935,375 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,557,000 after buying an additional 306,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 886,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,078,000 after acquiring an additional 62,321 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BJRI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark raised their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays boosted their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.38.

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.