BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $353.71 million. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 3.49% and a return on equity of 13.77%. BJ’s Restaurants’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from BJ’s Restaurants’ conference call:

• BJ’s delivered a strong quarter and year — Q4 same-store sales +2.6% (traffic +4.5%), restaurant-level margins 16.1%, and fiscal 2025 Adjusted EBITDA rose to $134.1M with Adjusted EPS up 40% to $0.66.
• Management issued 2026 guidance that implies continued profit growth — comparable restaurant sales of 1%–3%, restaurant-level operating profit of $221M–$233M, Adjusted EBITDA of $140M–$150M, and capital plan of $85M–$95M including up to two new restaurants in H2.
• Traffic gains are being driven by the Pizookie Meal Deal, seasonal LTOs and late‑night strength that bring new, younger guests, but those occasions have compressed average check levels, producing a trade‑off between traffic and ticket.
• Cost pressures remain a headwind — elevated commodity inflation (notably beef and produce), rising labor and workers’ compensation costs, and expected higher inflation in H1 2026 before moderating.
• Operational investments should support continued improvement — AI activity‑based labor rolled out to ~30% of stores with full deployment planned in 2026, ongoing remodels (~50% of pre‑2016 fleet refreshed), menu simplification and stronger social/influencer marketing driving NPS and retention gains.

BJ’s Restaurants Trading Down 2.1%

Shares of BJRI opened at $40.03 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $42.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $846.23 million, a P/E ratio of 18.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.33. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $75.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to buy up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at BJ’s Restaurants

In other news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of BJ’s Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total value of $317,553.37. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,409 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $174,640.49. This trade represents a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of BJ’s Restaurants

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth $3,942,000. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 394.5% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 309,269 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,185,000 after acquiring an additional 246,733 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in BJ’s Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at about $211,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,863,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,912,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

More BJ’s Restaurants News

Here are the key news stories impacting BJ’s Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and improving operations — BJRI reported Q4 EPS of $0.66 (vs. $0.60 consensus) and revenue of $355.4M (vs. ~$353.7M), with revenue up ~3.2% year-over-year and management noting improving operational fundamentals. This is the primary catalyst for the stock move. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Forward cadence: modest comp-sales guidance and growth initiatives — management outlined 2026 comparable-sales guidance of 1–3% and emphasized menu advancements and unit expansion (franchise/restaurant growth) as drivers of margin and revenue upside. That gives investors a visible growth runway. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target increases — Benchmark raised its target to $48 and put a Buy rating, and Citigroup boosted its target to $49 (Citigroup kept a Neutral rating). Those raises signal improving sell‑side sentiment and provide support for the rally. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage and detail available — multiple outlets published earnings snapshots, call highlights and company press materials (detailed transcript and press release available for review). These provide detail for investors but are reiterative of the beat and guidance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data looks unreliable — reports show a large “increase” but list 0 shares/NaN changes; current short-interest figures appear inconsistent and shouldn’t be interpreted as meaningful without an updated SEC/DTCC filing. (No reliable source link provided in feed.)
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst stance — Barclays raised its target to $42 but retained an Underweight rating, indicating some investors/analysts remain cautious about upside and near-term operating leverage. That keeps a portion of institutional coverage skeptical. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on BJRI shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of BJ’s Restaurants in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Mizuho raised their target price on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered BJ’s Restaurants from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, BJ’s Restaurants presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.00.

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.