BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $60.77 and last traded at $60.74, with a volume of 458055 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $59.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Benchmark upped their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Restaurants currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $42.00.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 2.3%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.68, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, Director Noah A. Elbogen sold 4,652 shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $251,208.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 76,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,116,690. The trade was a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kendra D. Miller sold 19,261 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were 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 owned 28,599 shares in the company, valued at $1,590,104.40. This represents a 40.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 63,817 shares of company stock valued at $3,384,688. Corporate insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BJRI. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% during the fourth 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 increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 456 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 11,904 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $469,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,524 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.