Insider Selling: BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Sells $405,002.97 in Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) EVP Brian Krakower sold 7,341 shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.17, for a total value of $405,002.97. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $260,457.57. This represents a 60.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

NASDAQ:BJRI opened at $54.62 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $44.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.27. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $56.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.31 and a quick ratio of 0.25.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BJRI has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson started coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Restaurants presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BJRI. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% in 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 during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth $63,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% in the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

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.