BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Director Purchases 1,200 Shares

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $35.10 per share, for a total transaction of $42,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 16,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $586,170. The trade was a 7.74% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of BJRI traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $35.83. The stock had a trading volume of 446,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 353,092. The business has a fifty day moving average of $41.89 and a 200 day moving average of $36.95. The firm has a market cap of $759.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.67, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.32. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.46 and a 12 month high of $47.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.40.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $353.71 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 13.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. Equities analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BJRI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays boosted their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Benchmark upped their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,514,000. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in BJ’s Restaurants in the third quarter worth $1,282,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 6.6% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 824,597 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,777,000 after buying an additional 51,062 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the third quarter worth about $2,501,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 233.6% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 628,445 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,029,000 after acquiring an additional 440,078 shares during the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by 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.