Insider Selling: BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Director Sells $149,372.00 in Stock

BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) Director Lea Anne Ottinger sold 2,792 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.50, for a total transaction of $149,372.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 39,701 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,124,003.50. This represents a 6.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of BJRI traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $54.72. The stock had a trading volume of 1,234,754 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,834. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.04. BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.46 and a 12-month high of $56.21.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) last issued 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). BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 13.48%. The firm had revenue of $358.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $356.97 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BJRI shares. Mizuho decreased their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler raised their price target 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. Benchmark lifted 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 report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in BJ’s Restaurants by 15.6% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 37,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,274,000 after acquiring an additional 5,013 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the first quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 29.7% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 17,662 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 4,045 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 22.5% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 291,957 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $13,021,000 after purchasing an additional 53,574 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 0.9% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 71,617 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,194,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. 99.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.