Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI) Stock Price

26 Feb 2026, 21:02 by Kim Johansen · The Markets Daily

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI – Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Citigroup from $45.00 to $49.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Citigroup’s target price indicates a potential upside of 22.22% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on BJRI. Barclays lifted their price objective on BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $30.00 target price 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 report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of BJ’s Restaurants from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.00.

View Our Latest Report on BJRI

BJ’s Restaurants Stock Performance

BJRI traded down $0.79 on Thursday, hitting $40.09. The company had a trading volume of 499,399 shares, compared to its average volume of 335,636. The stock has a market cap of $847.37 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $42.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.87. BJ’s Restaurants has a 1-year low of $28.46 and a 1-year high of $47.02.

BJ’s Restaurants (NASDAQ:BJRI – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The restaurant operator reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. BJ’s Restaurants had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 12.92%. The company had revenue of $355.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $353.71 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.47 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that BJ’s Restaurants will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

BJ’s Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $75.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to buy up to 11.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at BJ’s Restaurants

In other BJ’s Restaurants news, EVP Brian S. Krakower sold 8,017 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $174,640.49. The trade was a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BJ’s Restaurants

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC boosted its stake in BJ’s Restaurants by 187.7% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 699 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 1,618.3% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,031 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in BJ’s Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of BJ’s Restaurants by 18.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.95% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting BJ’s Restaurants

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

Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — BJRI reported $0.66 EPS vs. consensus $0.60 and revenue of $355.4M vs. $353.7M; revenue climbed ~3.2% YoY. Management hosted a call and released financials that validate modest top‑line growth and margin improvement. Earnings Release & Call
Positive Sentiment: Benchmark raised its price target to $48 and set a “Buy” rating — implies ~20% upside from the referenced price and signals institutional conviction that comps and margin momentum can continue. Benchmark PT Raise
Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its target modestly to $42 but kept an “Underweight” rating — PT lift is supportive, but the retained negative stance suggests caution about longer‑term growth or valuation. Barclays Note
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst writeups and previews (Zacks, Seeking Alpha) dig into key metrics and context — useful for modeling same‑store sales, labor/food cost trends and guidance, but contain no major surprises beyond the beat. Zacks Q4 Coverage
Neutral Sentiment: Feature piece (Seeking Alpha) frames BJ’s as continuing to improve its concept/offerings — qualitative support but not an immediate catalyst. Seeking Alpha Article
Negative Sentiment: Short‑interest data is noisy/ambiguous in recent reporting (the public release shows zero shares/change and inconsistent figures), creating uncertainty around positioning and potential volatility — this data noise can weigh on sentiment until clarified.

BJ’s Restaurants Company Profile

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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.