BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Announces Earnings Results

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) posted its earnings results on Tuesday. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.61 by ($0.04), FiscalAI reports. BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.82% and a net margin of 3.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from BJ’s Restaurants’ conference call:

• 7th consecutive quarter of sales and traffic growth — comparable same-store sales +2.4% driven by +2.2% traffic, restaurant-level margins 16% and adjusted EBITDA margin 10.5% (up 30 bps), with sustained outperformance vs. Black Box casual dining benchmarks.
• Product momentum is driving results — the All‑American Smash Burger lifted burger sales ~30%, pizza sales are ~20% higher, the Pizookie Meal Deal is increasing traffic and younger guest frequency, and new premium items (Wagyu burger, chicken sandwich refresh) are rolling out into Q3 to drive mix and check.
• Strong cash generation was deployed to reinvest in the business ($15.8M capex, five remodels), return capital (repurchased ~$5.3M of stock), and reduce leverage (repaid $23M of debt), lowering net funded debt to $39.3M from $61.2M.
• Management reiterated full‑year guidance and expects Q2 to be the peak for commodity inflation with a mid‑year menu update and targeted pricing to offset pressures in H2, though workers’ compensation and weather caused near‑term cost and volatility headwinds (labor at 36.3%, ~70 bps weather impact).

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

NASDAQ BJRI traded up $1.32 on Tuesday, hitting $38.28. The stock had a trading volume of 375,211 shares, compared to its average volume of 293,756. The company’s 50-day moving average is $36.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $804.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.29. BJ’s Restaurants has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $47.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BJRI. DA Davidson began coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho decreased their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.88.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $34.05 per share, for a total transaction of $34,050.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 18,700 shares in the company, valued at $636,735. This represents a 5.65% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 $177,321.86. This trade represents a 33.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 3,200 shares of company stock worth $110,670. Company insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised 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 valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 0.9% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 71,617 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,194,000 after buying an additional 637 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 7.2% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 11,749 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,814 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $189,000 after acquiring an additional 837 shares during the period. 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.