BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Price Target Cut to $40.00 by Analysts at Mizuho

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) had its price target reduced by Mizuho from $44.00 to $40.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Benchmark lifted their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.13.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of BJRI stock opened at $35.84 on Thursday. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $47.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $759.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $38.78 and a 200-day moving average of $37.17.

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

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Restaurants

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, EVP Brian S. 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 5,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $177,321.86. The trade was a 33.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $34.05 per share, for a total transaction of $34,050.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 18,700 shares in the company, valued at $636,735. This trade represents a 5.65% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 3,200 shares of company stock valued at $110,670 in the last 90 days. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at $3,942,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 394.5% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 309,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,185,000 after purchasing an additional 246,733 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in BJ’s Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth about $10,863,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,912,000. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.