Inceptionr LLC Makes New $311,000 Investment in BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. $BJRI

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,856 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 388.3% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 8,663 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 6,889 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 2.8% in the first 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 during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 2.1% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 103,013 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,616,000 after purchasing an additional 2,126 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 5,341.1% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,047 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Burney Co. purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the first quarter worth $3,990,000. 99.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

BJRI stock opened at $68.85 on Tuesday. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $54.62 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.87. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $28.46 and a one year high of $70.40. The company has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 34.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.31.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, CMO Heidi Rogers sold 3,090 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.21, for a total transaction of $164,418.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 9,265 shares in the company, valued at $492,990.65. This trade represents a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory S. Lynds sold 6,201 shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.86, for a total value of $346,387.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 46,474 shares in the company, valued at $2,596,037.64. This trade represents a 11.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 63,817 shares of company stock worth $3,384,688. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on BJRI. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $50.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. William Blair upgraded BJ’s Restaurants from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $42.00 to $38.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, BJ’s Restaurants currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.38.

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.