Insider Selling: BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Sells 3,475 Shares of Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Brian Krakower sold 3,475 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.71, for a total transaction of $162,317.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $220,517.91. This represents a 42.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

BJRI stock traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $46.72. 259,725 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 364,666. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.46 and a 52-week high of $47.99. The stock has a market cap of $982.05 million, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $39.33 and its 200 day moving average is $39.66.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The business had revenue of $358.12 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $356.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on BJRI. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays reduced their target price 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. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, BJ’s Restaurants currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 73.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 324,588 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,393,000 after acquiring an additional 137,511 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 31.7% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 19,737 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $693,000 after acquiring an additional 4,746 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 238.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,272 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $572,000 after acquiring an additional 11,458 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 7.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 107,143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,761,000 after acquiring an additional 7,080 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 7.7% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 16,561 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $581,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is 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.