Lisanti Capital Growth LLC Takes $3.11 Million Position in BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. $BJRI

Lisanti Capital Growth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 78,870 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $3,107,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 576.9% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,451,883 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,326,000 after buying an additional 1,237,383 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 23.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,362,763 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $102,665,000 after buying an additional 640,648 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $28,557,000 after buying an additional 306,930 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in BJ’s Restaurants in the second quarter valued at approximately $13,380,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 222.9% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 303,879 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,277,000 after buying an additional 209,776 shares during the period. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BJRI has been the topic of several analyst reports. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, 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 transaction of $91,078.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $177,321.86. This represents a 33.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $34.05 per share, with a total value of $34,050.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $636,735. This represents a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 3,200 shares of company stock valued at $110,670 in the last three months. 4.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about BJ’s Restaurants

Here are the key news stories impacting BJ’s Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.19 from $2.18 and nudged Q2 2026 EPS to $0.90 from $0.89, signaling slightly better expected profitability for BJ’s Restaurants. BJRI stock report
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $0.65 from $0.63, while keeping other forward estimates generally stable to slightly improved, which may be viewed favorably by investors. BJRI stock report
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.63 from $0.68 and lowered FY2028 to $2.68 from $2.78, but those longer-term changes are offset by the near-term upgrades and are less likely to drive today’s move on their own. BJRI stock report

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of BJRI stock opened at $44.56 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $38.15 and a 200-day moving average of $39.25. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.46 and a 12-month high of $47.02. The company has a market capitalization of $936.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.29.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $358.12 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants 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.