BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock Price Up 4.3%

Shares of BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) were up 4.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $37.06 and last traded at $36.98. Approximately 92,148 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 372,775 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Benchmark upped their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $43.00 price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $38.60.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $855.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 2.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.53.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $337.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $335.35 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 1.80% and a return on equity of 6.51%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 1.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Restaurants

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, insider Brian S. Krakower sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.56, for a total value of $56,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,652 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,105.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 4.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in BJ’s Restaurants by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,595,522 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $60,891,000 after buying an additional 8,763 shares during the period. RK Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. RK Capital Management LLC now owns 341,600 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,301,000 after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 327,259 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,785,000 after buying an additional 4,163 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 296,176 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,716,000 after buying an additional 51,364 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 271,651 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,373,000 after buying an additional 37,173 shares during the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BJ’s Restaurants Company Profile

BJ's Restaurants, Inc owns and operates casual dining restaurants in the United States. Its restaurants offer pizzas, craft and other beers, appetizers, entrées, pastas, sandwiches, specialty salads, and desserts. The company was formerly known as Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Inc and changed its name to BJ's Restaurants, Inc in August 2004.