BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $39.14 and traded as high as $43.99. BJ’s Restaurants shares last traded at $43.87, with a volume of 346,869 shares changing hands.

Key BJ’s Restaurants News

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler raised their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on BJ’s Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 price target for the company. Benchmark raised their price target on BJ’s Restaurants from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings cut BJ’s Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on 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 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.00.

BJ’s Restaurants Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $936.65 million, a P/E ratio of 22.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $38.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $356.97 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.59 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.03, for a total value of $91,078.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $177,321.86. This trade represents a 33.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director C Bradford Richmond acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $34.05 per share, with a total value of $34,050.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 18,700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,735. The trade was a 5.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought a total of 3,200 shares of company stock valued at $110,670 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. CWM LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 39.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,305 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. 99.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

BJ’s Restaurants Company 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.