BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $71.21 and last traded at $70.5810, with a volume of 43521 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $68.95.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

BJRI has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $47.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays reduced their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Three investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.38.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 1.5%

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $55.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $45.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.31.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by ($0.04). BJ’s Restaurants had a return on equity of 13.48% and a net margin of 3.15%.The firm had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Heidi Rogers sold 3,090 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.21, for a total transaction of $164,418.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer owned 9,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $492,990.65. This trade represents a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 7,341 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.17, for a total transaction of $405,002.97. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $260,457.57. This trade represents a 60.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 63,817 shares of company stock valued at $3,384,688. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 576.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,326,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237,383 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,114,685 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $39,125,000 after purchasing an additional 30,684 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 48.8% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 935,375 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,557,000 after purchasing an additional 306,930 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 67.3% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 388,779 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $11,869,000 after purchasing an additional 156,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 385,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $15,178,000 after purchasing an additional 30,269 shares in the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is owned by 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.