BJ’s Restaurants stock rating maintained at Buy by StoneX on traffic strength

StoneX has retained a Buy rating for BJ’s Restaurants Inc. (NASDAQ:BJRI) stock at a price target of $80.00, citing robust traffic performance in the third quarter. The restaurant chain has returned 84% over the past year, trading at $57.34 with a market capitalization of $1.22 billion. StoneX increased its third-quarter 2026 same-store sales estimate to 6.5%, surpassing the consensus estimate of 4.4%.

Analyst Todd Brooks highlighted traffic momentum, attributing it to BJ’s Restaurants' everyday value platform and the popularity of the Pizookie Mean Deal among consumers, especially younger age groups. The firm also raised its third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings per share estimate to $0.22, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.16, and its adjusted EBITDA estimate to $28.9 million, up from $27.5 million.

BJRI appears slightly overvalued based on Fair Value, but the company maintains a favorable PEG ratio of 0.51. Despite the increased same-store sales estimate, StoneX considers traffic growth to be a stronger driver of stock performance. BJ’s Restaurants reported a 6.5% same-store sales growth in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, driven by an 8.3% increase in traffic and revenue of $389 million, outpacing the consensus estimate of $377 million.

Other analysts have also raised their price targets for BJ’s Restaurants, such as Mizuho, Benchmark, and DA Davidson, reflecting confidence in the company's ongoing efforts to enhance performance and investor confidence.